We Should Have Eloped
by hinakyrie
Summary: Weddings are susposed to be fun, right? Well of course for Toshiro and Momo it has to be difficult. Eloping starts to look pretty inviting!
1. Growing Pains

We Should Have Eloped

Growing Pains

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I cannot claim anything in this fanfic as my own; it is all Kite Tubo's

It was a typical early November day in Soul Society. The sun was shining, some rowdy shinigami from the 11th were completing a lengthy combat training session of hide and seek, a group of…for lack of a better word, things were scheming to overthrow the Sereitei, and Ise Nanao was once again hitting her captain on the head for stumbling into the office late and hung over.

Also, a certain overworking shinigami was staring in deep concentration at his most important form of the day.

_Why does everything have paperwork attached to it? _Toshiro, the overworking shinigami, quietly mused to himself. _Do words and vows mean anything these days?_ He sighed as his normally calm heart thudded painfully in his chest. But as he once again read over the paperwork, his heart began to beat in anticipation and not in nervousness. A rare and vibrant smile flickered across his icy face.

Of course it vanished as his teal eyes glanced at the empty couch that his lazy lieutenant wasn't in; it was 3:30 P.M. _She didn't even make it into the office today._ _Hmmm, I guess I will just have to take a chunk out of her monthly stipend._

Intruding in on his master's private thoughts, Toshiro's sword, Hyorinmaru, curiously inquired, _What about her sake?_

Toshiro shook his snowy head. _We both know that won't help! _Everyone was dealing with getting past the brutal Winter War in their own way; and with a little bit of help from alcohol, Rangiku's cure was trying to forget it had ever happened. The last few years had been draining for his lieutenant, so Toshiro had not even touched any of Rangiku's hidden stashes._ She would just get more from the bar, and…well, she has not done something like this in a couple of weeks. Taking away her sake is out of the question, but I will have to talk to Unohana, _concluded the man firmly, attempting to support his decision logically._ Plus, she will be more disappointed that she is losing part of her stipend and won't be able to purchase that necklace she has been admiring, _Toshiro added as a triumphant afterthought, knowing he was really just grasping at straws.

_Well isn't somebody getting nicer, old man! _Hyorinmaru playfully griped, taking a stab at his master's fierce pride. After all, Toshiro was not well-known for his sweet temperament or anything.

Toshiro's eyebrows knitted in annoyance, and the temperature in the room began to drop._ Look, just because I do not want to be treated like an elementary child, does not, does NOT, mean I want to be called ancient either Hyorinmaru! My Ban Kai is not even mature yet! And just for your information, I also happen to have a fine reputation of being the iciest and the most non-sentimental taicho in the entire 13 squads! _

_Right, yet you want to get married! For being such a child prodigy, I see some flawed logic in your whole last paragraph. _Hyorinmaru laughed as his master sat there frozen in shock for several seconds.

Finally, the captain snapped back vehemently, _That's different, and YOU know it! I LOVE HER! _His sudden, surging anger backed his every word.

Hyorinmaru smiled in understanding. _I know. Don't forget I know everything about you Shiro-chan!_ The zanpaktou watched in amusement as Toshiro's face turned tomato red.

_Bed-wetter is the only one who gets away with that_, he grumbled in annoyance, rubbing a hand through his spiky hair, vaguely wondering what horrible sin he had committed to deserve Hyorinmaru as his zanpaktou.

Hyorinmaru decided to be the bigger being and forget about his master thinking he was a thorn in his side. _Well, Ukitake got away with calling you that too. Well, he got away with it until you snapped and froze him for a couple of hours last time; then again that was before the war…and you know. I actually miss that guy._

Toshiro grimaced, remembering too well, wishing he could take it all back. They all had lost so much in the war…Captain Komokura and the beloved Captain Ukitake had even lost their lives in the battle for Karakura Town.

_Wow, Momo is the only one that gets away with it anymore! _Hyorinmaru paused in amazement and then seriously continued._ I have to admit she does bring out the best in you. You had better not lose her._

"Don't worry," Toshiro vowed aloud as his hand reached for a calligraphy brush, "I w-" A stabbing pain in his side and sword arm made him stop and sway in shock as his mind wrenched back in time.

He was bleeding and gasping for air. He had only just beaten Halibel, and that fight had come too close for comfort. Quickly he glanced around for Rangiku and Momo. Toshiro's turquoise irises widened as they locked on his unmoving targets. "Momo…Rangiku," he whispered as he hurried towards them, feeling like someone had kicked him in the stomach. The Winter War was not even leaving the two of them untouched.

Izuru was leaning over Rangiku, who had a half of a circle missing from her chest, and was quietly muttering, "Come on!" He looked up at the approaching Toshiro, "That was an amazing technique Captain Hitsugaya."

Toshiro absently nodded his head in appreciation. "Izuru, exactly how bad are they?" the young captain asked hesitantly, voice barely disguising his concern.

The _they_ the teenage shinigami were referring to was obviously clear. "I think Momo has a collapsed lung, but with some healing soon she will be okay. Rangiku should make it; that is if I can get this puncture wound to close up Captain Hitsugaya." He replied wearily, once again becoming engrossed in his work.

"Should," Toshiro coolly repeated, an eyebrow raised, hands clenched.

"Should," whispered Izuru with dreadful confirmation.

With horrified acceptance, Toshiro whirled around as he heard Momo moan and begin to stir behind him.

"Shiro-chan, what h- Rangiku! Is she okay!" the worried girl asked groggily.

Toshiro decided to sugar coat his answer. "Izuru is taking care of her, so she will probably be back to her typical, annoying self soon. And it is Captain Hitsugaya to you!" he humped anxiously coming closer to her, shielding her vision of his critically injured lieutenant. He continued in a slightly softer, tenor voice, "Are you holding up okay?"

Momo's typical sharp mind began to lose its fogginess from her injuries. "I am doing fine."

_Liar,_ thought Toshiro. _Then again, who here is actually doing okay? Just hold on Rangiku._

Momo's almond eyes blinked and her vision cleared as she focused on her childhood friend, who at the moment was fatigued and covered in blood. "But shouldn't you be getting some help now yourself; you look terrible!"

"I don't have time to be healed right now." Toshiro averted his gaze; he could hear the clanging of swords and see that raging fire in the distance. "I still have work to do." His piercing gaze turned back to Momo. She shook. Her Shiro-chan could read her like an open book. He continued, almost gently, "What is _your_ goal here Momo; why did you come?"

_Why did I come here?_ wondered Momo to herself. _I have to be honest with him; he deserves that much. I know I was telling Rangiku the truth when I said I was here to represent the 5th, but is that the only reason?_ She somehow found the courage to lock her eyes into those turquoise lobes and confidently answered. "I am here to represent the 5th squad in the fight against the…the traitor Captain Aizen. More importantly, I am here to protect my friends and what we stand for." Toshiro gave one nod and a hint of a smile. Momo had known him long enough to know exactly what that meant; that was all she needed.

_She is here to fight,_ thought the prodigy in amazement. _Finally, she is turning back into her true, spunky, old self._

_Careful, she still called him taicho, _cautioned Hyorinmaru.

_I know, but she also called him a traitor in the same sentence,_ Toshiro argued. _At least it is a step in the right direction. _Aloud he said, "I see, and I am proud of you. However," He put up his hand to stop Momo from arguing, "Just _listen_ for a minute, at this point in time you are too injured to fight against such powerful opponents. If you fall, Soul Society and the World of the Living might fall. Do you understand?" He didn't mention that he would also feel horrible. It was a known fact admitting his feelings was not a part of the child prodigy's personality.

"Yes, of course," Momo sighed, deciding to not point out that the bloody and worn out Toshiro seemed to fall under the same category as her; it wouldn't do any good anyway. "As soon as I am healed though I am rej-" she broke off as coughs began to rack through her body, sending blood out of her mouth.

Toshiro flew forward and propped her up at 45 degrees against the kido bonds helping support her.

_For being so icy, he definitely has warm hands, _Momo randomly thought.

"You know if you had just stayed in bed like I had told you to do, you probably would not be hurt at all right now. Why won't you just rest and obey orders for once." Toshiro groaned.

A little bitterly she countered, "Well what if the orders you have blindly followed for years came from the wrong person?"

"Look at me. That person NEVER existed, he said so himself. You are your own person Momo; do not EVER forget that." vowed Toshiro sternly, forcing Momo's chin towards him. He shook his head in defeat, "And I really was referring to the fact you never sit still for or obey orders from _me_.

"Oh . . . I am sorry Shiro-chan."

"Do not worry about it, and remember it is _Captain Hitsugaya._ Just . . . take it easy Momo." Toshiro finished softly as he got up and figuratively handed her over once again to Izuru's care. "I have to go report to the soutaicho." He gave Izuru a stern glance that showed his thousands of true, raging emotions. "I am counting on you Izuru!"

"Of course, Captain Hitsugaya; I won't let you down."

_Aizen,_ Toshiro thought as he shunpoed away, _You are finished!_

"He seemed deeper than usual," mussed Momo with a smile. _Thank goodness he is not to mad at me; he even said he was proud. Besides Rangiku, he is the only one not treating me, well at least not totally, like a porcelain doll who might go crazy any second._

Izuru had just watched the whole exchange with a half amused and a half exasperated air. There might have been a time years ago when Izuru might have had a crush on the small girl, but that was decades ago. Plus, even if he did have those emotions, which he didn't, he had no desire at this point of time to turn into an icicle. Now he could not help wondering, _when will she realize it; when will he admit that he loves her? _Even he had to concede that Momo and the young white haired captain was a picture perfect couple.

"I have defeated the third espada, Halibel. What is my next order, Sou-taicho?" Toshiro meanwhile asked the captain-commander.

"Captain Hitsugaya, your next task is to umm . . . umm," Captain Yamamoto began, stone face never once changing expression.

_Please tell me the Old Man has a plan to keep me occupied until that fire burns out_, Toshiro silently begged to whoever was listening.

"The same one as before; do not let any of the espada on Soul Society soil!" resounded the captain-commander triumphantly.

_You. Have. To. Be. Kidding. Me. Old Man Yama has finally lost it! _thought Toshiro in blank astonishment. Only years of training kept his true feelings from showing on his face. He looked around; all of the espada were already fighting somebody, and everyone on the Soul Reaper's side seemed to be holding their own.

Suddenly the fire barrier surrounding the traitors hissed and faded, and Toshiro grimly muttered to himself, "Finally."

"Actually there is a change of plans Captain Hitsugaya," said the sou-taicho calmly as Captain Hitsugaya took a sharp intake of breath and began to reach for his sword.

_Just use your head,_ the child prodigy reminded himself as he totally ignored Captain Yamamoto

Elsewhere, Momo gasped as she felt the familiar spiritual pressure rise as the barrier collapsed. Izuru's healing kido flickered and vanished and his hand tightened on Momo's shoulder as they both looked into their old captains' faces.

"Gin hasn't changed at all," said Izuru scornfully.

"Captain…Aizen," muttered Momo. Aizen glanced briefly into her chocolate eyes. _He looks nothing like he used to. His eyes are cold, not the warm ones I remember. _A sudden and jarring pull that had nothing to do with the injuries she had received from the fight rushed through her body. She suddenly felt the need to strike out at everyone, Izuru included. _What is this? _Memories sped painfully through her brain. "_No..NO! This is not the real Aizen. I am not going to be controlled by him!_ Against her will, she felt her fingers begin to reach for her sword.

"Momo, snap out of it." Izuru yelled, roughly shaking her.

As Aizen looked in another direction and began whispering to Gin and Tousen, Momo blinked. The conflicting voices and the painful pull were gone, "That was weird."

"I'll say. Your irises turned yellow," stuttered Izuru. He gave her a curious glance and one last push of healing kido. Momo's lung was once again inflated. As long as she took it easy, she would be fine. In surprise, Izuru's eyes widened as the captains a couple hundred of meters in front of him used fast step and vanished.

"Your new orders are to help arrest or kill all the traitors," finished the captain-commander, but the captain he had been speaking to was long gone.

"Pierce his flesh, Shinsou," a silky voice muttered behind Izuru. "Long time no see Izuru. Too bad Ran had to get dragged into this." The squad 3 lieutenant barely had time to turn around and block.

Clash!

Meanwhile, Aizen decided to try to take the head off of the snake. With a smirk he opened a gate and a flood of Menos Grandes appeared as he casually strolled towards the sou-taicho.

Izuru glared with hate at his former superior. "Raise your head Wabisuke!" He forced Gin's sword to the right.

"Duck," he heard Momo yell behind him. "Shockahoe 31!" Izuru launched himself sideways as quickly as possible, and he felt the rush of destructive energy burst by him. Quickly he fast stepped forward and snapped the kido bonds that were holding Momo on her kido web, not wanting her to be sitting bait for Gin's target practice.

"I am ready," Momo whispered as her spiritual energy began to rise exponentially.

"NO! Stay out of this one as much as possible. You heard what Captain Hitsugaya ordered Momo," commanded Izuru as he studied their opponent. Gin did not even look winded from their—well Momo's—offensive attack, but Izuru was happy to see that he was not sporting such a big smile as usual either.

"Okay I'll stay on the sidelines, but I am not going to let you fight alone. It will be like the days when we were in the academy," grinned Momo, eyes scrunched in determination.

"I guess we don't have much of a choice, but just be careful," conceded Izuru as he flew forward. The only reason he was even letting her in on the action was because he had no more pills on him that knocked people out. The struggle trying to get her to stand down would be more trouble than it was worth.

Plus he was mad.

Izuru sliced upwards, blocked, swung a down cut, and struck. He cartwheeled over Gin's head and heard Momo launch another Shockahoe behind him.

"Well, isn't somebody determined today! I must say expected a better welcome from y'Izuru," smiled Gin evilly.

"You are a traitor, and no longer my captain. The only welcome you deserve is a sword." shouted Izuru as months of pent up rage exploded.

_This is annoying_, thought the Old Man in the meantime as Aizen approached him. He could see Captain Hitsugaya, considering he was the only shinigami really free at the moment, building up a wall of ice behind them in an attempt to slow down the Menos Grandes. _He is smart for his age_, grudgingly conceded the sou-taicho. It was time to deal with the most pressing issue, however. "Turn everything to ashes, Ryuujinjakka!" he rumbled. Fire flared everywhere attempting to consume everything, but Aizen's presence remained. In surprise, Captain Yamamoto felt the traitor's spiritual pressure appear behind him. He turned around and swung up, fulling expecting to hit steel. Instead he hit air and felt the pain of a sword crushing through his back. "Honooya!" the soutaicho stammered as he held out his right hand, flew backwards, and charged once again with his sword. Flaming arrows flew from the elderly man's outward palm towards the man leering in front of him as Captain Yamamoto once again attacked.

"Give it up," Aizen neutrally stated. He easily blocked, flash stepped, and whacked the old man on the head. "As much as I admire your courage, I really am not in the mood to deal with you Commander."

"What?" questioned Momo in a whisper, growing distracted by the sudden change in Captain Aizen's fight, "That flicker of spiritual pressure; the captain-commander's down . . . no way!"

_This REALLY is super annoying,_ groaned the sou-taicho as he passed out and started plummeting to the Earth.

_Yeah, this might be like the academy Momo, but there is one major difference; we are missing one of our trio, _thought Izuru as he struggled against his old captain. Noticing her sudden distraction, Izuru yelled to get Momo's attention back. _Our power levels might be too different to win this battle without Renji's help._

"Bakudo 37, Tsuriboshi," exclaimed a cool voice several hundred meters away. With a flutter of robes, Toshiro halted, yards away from the man he had wanted to settle a score with for months now. Toshiro smiled in triumph as he saw Captain Yamamoto land safely in his kido net. "Now I can deal with you Aizen."

"Really, didn't you learn anything Toshiro? What a shame," Aizen sighed as Tousen appeared beside him.

Toshiro just dropped to his fighting stance with his deep eyes calculating Aizen's every move. "It is Captain Hitsugaya to you," he muttered. His voice was as fierce as a dragon and his tone was as sharp as ice. _Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of Tousen, _he thought as time seemed to slow down. Keeping his peripheral vision on Aizen, he moved ninety degrees as a shadow flew past him and towards the Captain-commander. Furiously he began his release,

"Reign o-" Thankfully he didn't have to finish.

Captain Komokura intercepted Tousen.

So Toshiro gratefully charged Aizen. Just like before, his sword stabbed through Aizen's chest, well the fake Aizen's chest. This time however, he saw the telltale movement out of the corner of his eye. He withdrew his sword, blocked the swing from the real Aizen's sword, and even managed to land a cut on his opponent's cheek.

"Wow, you've improved Toshiro," Aizen stated as they paused a few feet away from each other as they paused for breath.

_Why can't anyone seriously just call me by the right title? _groaned Toshiro as he began to feel a headache coming on. "I have told people before. You cannot hit me with the same move twice, Aizen," he spat aloud, his mind focused only on defeating the traitor in front of him.

"Are you really sure about that?" curiously questioned Aizen as he glanced once again at Momo.

Momo's hand flew to her side. That weird feeling from before was slowly starting to come back. She was so tired of being confused; she was tired of being worthless. She had come here to prove to herself she had not totally lost her mind. Unfortunately the voices Izuru screaming and losing, Shiro-chan fighting, the blood, that pull from Aizen, and everything else was about to make her head explode. As if that was not enough, a large grating sound pierced her head. A rip in the sky appeared, and tons of bodies were rolling out of it.

"Well Momo, it's about time you finally were up and about! It sure took you long enough!" exclaimed a wide-eyed Renji from the front of the pack. _Seriously girl, you had all of us worried_, he thought happily for himself.

_Well, that makes three people that do not treat me like a porcelain doll, _Momo thought eagerly, squishing down her uncertainties that had popped out of nowhere.

Renji smiled before noticing Izuru and sprinting forward to help, "Hey, why didn't you wait for me, you jerk?"

Rukia joined the fray right after him, calling over her shoulder, "Ichigo, we are counting on you to lead against those Menos Grandes!" _You should not get in to much trouble doing that, you have beaten one before. The main thing is we have to keep you from going hollow again for a while._

Behind him, Momo saw a girl with long, red hair and blue hairpins rush to Rangiku's side in tears and shock and begin a unique sort of healing kido. Ignoring the fight raging around her, the girl concentrated totally on healing her friend, even though unknowingly to anyone else her reserves of power were running dangerously low.

Momo grinned. This must be the rescue team she must have heard people whispering about finally returning from Hueco Mundo, the place where monsters resided. With wonderment she watched some people in weird masks, an orange-haired dude, a man in a weird hat, a cat, a black haired man wearing a 10th division haori, the squad 4 members, a couple of guys with blue bows, and the Captains Kuchiki and Kenpachi fast step towards the Menos Grandes.

In contrasting revulsion, she suddenly felt her anxieties increase and felt those dreaded eyes burn into the back of her head. She did not want to turn around, but some invisible force forced her to.

Looking into those hard eyes she could hear Aizen talking inside her head to her. _They don't trust you. I trust you, so won't you do me a favor. Take down the sou-taicho; take down those so called friends._

_No, _Momo fought bitterly. _I won't!_

_Yes, I own you Momo. You will do what I say,_ snapped Aizen as he filled Momo's head with warm memories of the so called "him". Everything else faded, as she began to physically reach for them, yearning for the familiar warmth.

Momo doubled over in relief as the connection broke, leaving her breathing hard and with beads of sweat rolling down her forward. She looked up in surprise; Toshiro was standing in between her and Aizen. His spiked hair was flapping, and his blue spiritual pressure was so high and raging it was almost suffocating.

"YOU WON'T EVER HURT HER AGAIN," Toshiro angrily and defiantly whispered to Aizen. He glanced at Momo, and visibly sighed in relief. Her eyes were back to their normal color, but Toshiro could not help remembering what Aizen had once told him months ago, "I have trained her, so that she cannot live without me." _Momo just hang on. It is the years of being under the absolute hypnosis, right Hyorinmaru?_

_Probably_, Hyorinmaru sighed. _This could cause problems._

"Shiro-chan," whispered Momo, shocked at his outrage towards Aizen and worried about his safety. For crying out loud, the head-captain himself had just gotten beaten! "Be… careful." Toshiro was looking at her with an eyebrow raised in amusement. _Why do I feel like I am forgetting to tell him something? _

"You bet," smirked Toshiro. "Just let me take care of it."

_He didn't even complain that I used his nickname! _thought Momo in amazement as her childhood friend jumped forward and released his shikai. Suddenly cold, she wrapped her arms tight around herself. "Don't worry. I believe in you Captain Hitsugaya." she muttered to herself, finally understanding that was exactly what she had wanted to tell him all along.

As he bounded forward, Toshiro shot a wall of ice over his shoulder to shield Aizen from Momo. _That should minimize whatever power he still has over her_, he thought confidently as the crash of steel on steel was heard for miles.

Slowly Rangiku sat up.

"Rangiku-san," a familiar voice urged. "Take it easy!" A second later, Orihime found herself wrapped up in a bear hug.

Toshiro panted. Block, thrust, parry, and block again. He groaned as Aizen landed a deep cut on his already injured shoulder. The ice all around started to shatter. _No, please stay strong for me Hyorinmaru,_ he begged. His heart stopped as he looked up and once again took a defensive stance. Now fifteen Aizens were staring him in the face.

"You had better figure out which one me is the real one, child prodigy," called an animated voice from all of the fifteen Aizens.

"Impossible," muttered the young captain in shock.

Through the ice, Momo could see the whole fight raging. She once again quickly focused her attention on the fight against Captain Ichimaru. Rukia, Renji, and Izuru were moving too quickly for her to stay safely involved in that fight. If she tried to help, she might accidently hit them with her kido. She almost took a step to go and help against the Menos Grandes instead, but then she noticed a crack she could fit through in Toshiro's ice shield. She also noticed that Toshiro was fighting against fifteen versions of Aizens, and he was showing clear signs of being outmatched and exhaustion.

"I knew you weren't a traitor!" yelled Rangiku with excitement, finally letting go of her red-headed friend. That excitement vanished instantly though as she looked up; a few feet away the man that had broken her heart was fighting some of her best friends.

"So Ran, I have to say I have seen ya looking better," said Gin calmly, almost wistfully as he blocked Zabimaru. "I have to admit Hueco Mundo is kinda boring without ya there."

"Ignore him," yelled Renji, noticing Rangiku's hesitation. "Haven't you hurt enough people Ichimaru! First off there was Rukia, Momo . . . Rangiku here, and Orihime just told us the only reason she went with you guys was because you blackmailed her. It makes me disgusted!"

_Don't worry Renji; I have been crying way to long over him. I may not be completely ready for this, because I miss him. No . . . no, I promised I wouldn't do this! Time to get rid of my nightmares!_ decided Rangiku firmly, horrified that Orihime had been blackmailed.

"I'm fine; it was no trouble," whispered Orihime. "I just wanted to protect you guys." _I went, so you would not get hurt. Please, please stop fighting over me!_

Rangiku pushed the girl behind her, "Okay. Well now it's our turn. Hanieko!" She glanced at the icy blasts in the distance that had to be coming from her captain, _be careful_.

Toshiro groaned. He had gone Ban Kai. He had been trying for a while now to destroy the real Aizen, but he had no way of knowing which one that was. "No," he whispered as one of the Aizens once again stabbed him with a sword. Blood poured from the young captain's mouth. They were all laughing at him; they were all the same cold figure that had left him and, more importantly, Momo for dead last time. "I still have to finish the job. Everyone is counting on me; I can't be defeated!"

"Actually, child prodigy you can. Let's raise the stakes shall we," muttered Aizen in Toshiro's ear as he flash stepped away, having fun with the game of cat and mouse.

Elsewhere Orihime screamed. Electricity shot through her body, and the bracelets trapped on her wrists were glowing a dark red. As her vision swirled, she managed to see Uryuu begin to rush towards her, and Ichigo turn around in shock.

Momo fought a feeling of growing anxiety. With Aizen's maximum power flowing at all around her, the conflicting voices began to once again pound in her head. She staggered, and almost released her barrier that was shielding her reiatsu. Then, she felt the familiar cold rush threatening to obliterate Aizen's spiritual pressure, and Toshiro's voice popped into her head. _You are your own person Momo; do not EVER forget that!_

It was enough.

The weird pull was there, but she could concentrate again. She carefully looked at all the Aizens. Some were holding their swords, one was scratching his head. She bit her lip, considering her best friend was in the middle of all of them. Poor Toshiro looked a lot worse up close, and she was the only one at the moment who could help him. _I actually can do this! After all, I know him best, _she thought, trying to force her heart to beat normally. She focused on each of the Aizens individually. Eventually, Momo grinned in triumph. _There, that one two to the left of Toshiro. That is how he always looks, hands crossed and half a smile on his face. _As she inched forward, the pounding in her head increased. _Yep, that is the one!_

The real Aizen sighed, it had been fun, but the cat-and-mouse game was no longer holding his interest.

Toshiro, breathing heavily, back flipped and swung once again at the Aizen closest to him. Suddenly, a sharp pull spun him in the opposite direction. The real traitor had grabbed the back of Toshiro's cloak, so now the prodigy was dangling and looking into the real Aizen's cold eyes. He saw the reflection of the metal, but he had no way to dodge it. "Momo . . . I am sorry," Toshiro muttered as Aizen's sword slashed towards his neck.

Time stopped. Momo saw the sword swing. She leapt forward, silently screaming. She flew forward as the memories of Aizen tucking her in, Aizen reading her a book, Aizen saving her once from a hollow flashed unbidden into her mind. She grimaced as she once again felt the memories threaten to overwhelm her. Her eyes burned; her vision swam as the hypnosis started to pull her under. She knew without anyone telling her that her eyes were once again yellow. _We both know where your loyalties should lie_, a voice whispered. _Kill him! _She felt her lung re-collapse from the sudden effort. She swung.

"Well Ran, it was fun," smiled Gin as he took his last breath and collapsed at their feet.

Rangiku shakily wiped the blood off of her sword, trying to keep her broken face hidden. She barely noticed the others doing the same. "Why do you still have to keep leaving my heart dangling," she muttered to herself, attention elsewhere and on the corpse on the ground.

Meanwhile, Rukia and Ichigo were too intently trying to help Orihime to care about their swords.

BOOM!

All around them there was a big explosion.

"Rangiku, look out!" yelled Renji as he pushed the daydreaming shinigami to the ground, forcing her to pay attention. Toshiro's ice shield had burst, hurtling ice chunks everywhere. Renji groaned as one sliver cut his cheek while he protected Rangiku. "Ichigo!" he yelled in concern. The human was trying to protect the girls as best as he could, but there was no way his worn out body could defract all that ice with Zangetsu. Uryuu tried to do the same, but with his body instead of a sword. Renji sighed in relief as Izuru threw up a barrier. As Renji peered in the opposite direction, in the icy captain's direction, his whole face froze, "No way…"

Toshiro blinked in amazement; _I should be dead._ As his vision cleared, his mouth fell open.

Momo levitated beside him, empty handed, her sword pushed through the real Aizen.

Panic over whelmed her. "Captain…Aizen!" Momo faltered. _What have I done? Shiro-chan, what is happening? _"Shiro-chan? I could not let him… but Captain Aizen why…why?" She could not breath. Everything was moving so slowly. Aizen was faltering, real blood pooling around him. Momo was so tired that she did not even move when Aizen raised his sword at her, anger and denial ruling his usually calm face.

Toshiro roared. In a desperate last rush of energy he pulled out of Aizen's grip and pushed Momo behind him. _Over my dead body! _He blocked. _I cannot pass out just yet, one more cut, _he told himself through rough gasps as he neared the end of his endurance. _I have to protect her! _

Out of the blue Kurosaki appeared behind Aizen's back, seeming as mad as or madder than Toshiro. _Of course Kurosaki, you have to show up at the last minute and play hero,_ gratefully grinned Toshiro with a bit of sarcasm. They gave each other one settle nod; together they swung. Kurosaki pierced through Aizen's ribs, and Toshiro took off the traitor's head while managing to pull out Tobiume for Momo. _Might seem harsh,_ he thought to himself as he turned around to face Tobiume's wielder and Aizen's body lazily fell from the sky, _but that is the only sure way to kill a shinigami._

"Thank goodness," whispered Rukia to Renji, Izuru, Uryuu, and Rangiku. "She might make it." She looked triumphantly at the electrocuting bracelets that had broken off of Orihime's wrist when Aizen had fallen to Earth.

"She had better after all we went through for her," grumbled Renji affectionately, trying to lighten the mood and cover his concern. Even though it was obvious that the tattoo covered man had not meant a word of what he had just said, Rukia punched him in the stomach. Hard.

"Momo," whispered Toshiro in bewilderment, "Why did you do that?" Her eyes were once again back to their normal color, but they were vacant, unseeing. His heart missed a beat; she looked horrible.

"I could not let him hurt you Shiro-chan. He had already hurt so many people, and I was so tired of being the person who helped him, believed in him. I should have believed in you…Captain Hitsugaya," she replied, eyes beginning to blink with tears and exhaustion.

For once, Toshiro decided not to even complain about her using her annoying nickname. Actually, when she had called him by the right title two sentences later, it had not felt right at all.

Quickly he nodded and then frowned, "How many times do I have to tell you to stop worrying about it, Bed-wetter?" He raised an eyebrow as Momo tried and failed to look indignant.

"Thanks, Kurosaki," he grudgingly continued, voice tainted with tiredness from his intense fights, to the teenager behind him. _Just hold on a little while longer_, he ordered himself.

"No problem," called Ichigo over his shoulder. He had a vibe that the two needed to be alone, so he fast stepped away. It was probably the only time he had shown tact in his entire life; it was probably the only time he ever would. "That's what friends are for. I had a personal score to settle with him anyway!" he called over his shoulder. He had to get back to Orihime, and he DEFIENTLY needed to have a major talk, that would probably include some screaming and some bloodshed, with his father.

"Yeah," Momo softly agreed, hand holding her thumping head. A rush of nausea flew through her body, and once again she was coughing up blood. As she saw Toshiro's eyes widen, she tried to stay positive. She had never seen him this hurt or upset before. His eyes were wild and as vulnerable as when they were children. Unfortunately her body was making staying all butterflies and rainbows hard; she hurt everywhere. Unwillingly, Momo's hands went to her side. Fighting and the stress of the hypnosis had not only re-collapsed her lung, it had caused even more internal damage. "I can't breath," she eventually croaked.

"Momo," Toshiro yelled in horror. He sprung forward, but she began falling before his tired body could reach her.

The girl vaguely heard someone shouting her name, as her mind slid into a dark abyss. "Shiro-chan," she managed to whisper before she felt no more.

Toshiro flew downwards, and managed to catch one of her fragile, falling hands, which pulled his exhausted body down with her. Teeth clenched, he used every last inch of his reiatsu to pull her close and try to control their fall. She was so light, so delicate. He held her closer than he had ever had before, bridal style. _No, do not give up now Momo._ No one, not even that annoying Kurosaki, was close enough to help them. Toshiro's head snapped back as his back rammed into the pavement. Momo slipped and bounced several feet away. Painfully, the captain crawled haltingly over to her. "Momo . . . stay with me," he begged. Of course, she did not stir. "Please! I . . . will do anything for you, just hold on." His own injuries, the battles, they did not matter anymore. All he knew was that he was sitting in Momo's blood, and Momo was hardly breathing. "You were not even supposed to get caught up in this. I told you to stay put," he angrily whispered. "I was supposed to get rid of your pain, not cause you more!" He sat there shaking as wetness began to form on his cheeks. Toshiro blinked in astonishment; he was actually crying. As he doubled over her in painful sobbing and coughing, his injuries finally took their toll. As his eyes swam, he grabbed Momo's hand, determined to try and heal her before he passed out. _Momo . . . I am right here. I won't leave. _He instantly collapsed on her, while inside begging her to come back.

In the distance, Ichigo paused in mid-step. He felt Toshiro's spiritual pressure vanish and saw him and the small girl plummet to the ground. "Oh, shit!" he screamed while turning to go in that direction.

"Hey idiot! Why did you leave them alone if they looked so bad!" snapped Renji as he and Rangiku appeared beside Ichigo.

The orange-haired bakka heatedly replied as they flew forward, "They did not seem that bad to me, obviously!"

"Wow, for being a doctor's son you should be better at this kind of thing!" Renji argued.

"Shut up!" growled Ichigo.

"Guys," yelled Rangiku, knowing they could argue like this for hours. She gasped a few seconds later as they approached the area covered in ice and blood where their targets had landed. "CAPTAIN!"

Leaping back to the present time, Toshiro put his head in his shaking hands as the pain gradually receded. It would be the third year anniversary of the war in late January, and the old wounds and memories from that day still flared up from time to time. He had recalled everything so vividly he felt like he was in that whole situation again, and he concentrated on getting his breathing regular.

"Apparently Rangiku is right about me getting out of the office more," the prodigy groaned as he slowly got up and decided to stick his head out the window for some much needed fresh air. "I won't lose her," he meanwhile dramatically replied to Hyorinmaru. "I came way to close to losing Momo that day, and it will not happen ever again."

Five steps later he stubbed his toe and made a very graceful eggplant on the floor. "What the hell?" he wondered as he stared at a stack of unfinished paperwork that someone had hidden under the blanket that usually rested on the couch. They all had yesterday's date on them. "RANGIKU!" Toshiro furiously yelled while jumping up and hopping to the window, hoping to see his lieutenant. Instead he saw a glimpse of an unfamiliar shinigami wearing a black cape fly around the corner of one of the tenths buildings. He rubbed his eyes; the man was gone. "Great," he said, shaking his head and returning to his desk.

_I think you should get some medical attention. You are much too young to be going crazy_, chuckled his zanpaktou.

_Just zip it,_ ordered Toshiro in annoyance. Over the past few years he had seen way too much of the 4th to really want to go back anytime soon. _Probably, the only things causing me to be going insane are you and Rangiku! _he joked, trying to keep things upbeat. The light taunt kept Hyorinmaru quiet for a few seconds. _I really did not mean that Hyorinmaru!_ Toshiro finally said exasperated. He once again reached for the calligraphy brush, and his spiritual pressure rose exponentially. More seriously he continued,_ Can we get back to the business at hand please? I am counting on you from here on out to help make this work out and help protect her. There is no one else I could trust more with these assignments. _It hurt his pride a little to steep that low and admit his feelings, but as Hyorinmaru replied it was worth it.

_I must say Little One, _started the dragon in reverence as his master began to sign his name on the form. _You are finally beginning to sound like a man! Of course, I am always here for you!_

_Thank you Hyorinmaru_, sighed Toshiro in contentment as he signed the last letter of his name on the paperwork. Just as he was about to lift up the brush, Rangiku burst through the door, causing her captain to jump in alarm and smear the writing utensil across the page.

"I'm home!" she yelled, obviously going through the last stage of her hangover.

"Rangiku," Toshiro snapped as the room instantly dropped twenty degrees. "You. Are. Going. To. Be. The. Death. Of. Me! For the last time, this is the OFFICE!"

As she slid ungracefully onto the couch, Rangiku honestly did not understand why her captain seemed so cranky.

Then she saw the wedding license.


	2. A Fateful Game of Hide and Seek

A Fateful Game of Hide and Seek

Disclaimer: I am sorry to say that I do not own Bleach or any of the characters it contains.

Toshiro saw his lieutenant's mouth open and eyes sparkle. "Rangiku, wait a minute!" he frantically yelled, but she did not pay any attention. Knocking everything off of his desk, he manically flew forward, as she screamed/questioned in happiness, "TAICHO, YOU ARE GETTING MARRIED!?" He smacked his hand angrily against her mouth, but the damage was already done. _Just great_, he groaned furiously to himself. For once in his life he was too horrorstruck to even yell like he usually would at his lieutenant. _Of all the times for Rangiku to be . . . well, Rangiku! Nope. No more drinking or unruly hangovers for her!_

As her powerful voice carried throughout the Seiretei, everything stopped. Renji choked and spit out the orange juice he was chugging, unfortunately, all over Byakuya. Ikkau began laughing so hard he fell off of the roof. Even the Hell butterflies stopped in their tracks. Well, all of them accept one.

Old Man Yama woke up from his nap to the rash announcement, so he was not in a good mood. "I already know this. For goodness sakes, I gave Captain Hitsugaya the wedding license and full permission. That's it. They get double the paperwork next month." He closed his eyes to try and get back to some much needed sleep. He had a sickening feeling there would be a blizzard tonight or, depending on how much Fukutaicho Matsumoto annoyed her superior, quite possibly in the next half hour. He would need to be awake for that.

Concealing his rietsau was annoying, but Shizuka Obake managed. The spymaster took the temporary silence and used it to send out a message to all of his subordinates through a hell butterfly he had borrowed.

It read: We move in a week. We can use this wedding to our advantage. We just need to figure out who the lucky couple is. Everyone lay low until then.

Shizuka Obake held his black cloak tighter around his body as he started through the next aisle of the library's archives.

Suddenly the Captain-Commander sat straight up. Something felt really wrong.

Meanwhile, Momo was fast-stepping quickly toward the 10th division. _Oh, this is so bad. At least she did not say WHO he is marrying! _She bit her lip in worry. You could always tell something was seriously screwed up if Rangiku was the one screaming instead of her superior. Momo tucked a stray hair behind her ear and wiped the sweat off of her forehead. The punishing pace was not the only reason she was about to hyperventilate. _Of all the things you decide to shout out, you just had to choose the most personal thing in all of Soul Society Rangiku! What have you done? _As she rounded the corner, newly donned captain's haori flying, lost in her own thoughts, she did not see the pink blur flying towards her until they crashed together.

"Hey Peaches! Are you playing hide and seek too? Will you help me hide from Kenny?" asked a very energetic Yachiru, who was sitting calmly on top of the sprawled out Momo. You would think that after the war the bubblegum haired girl would have matured a little more, but no such luck.

Momo hesitated; she really did not have time for this. "I was actually going to go see Toshiro, I mean Captain Hitsugaya." She smiled; inwardly sighed, deep down knowing there was no alternative. Yachiru had a tight hold of her robes, and the girl would probably follow Momo all the way to the 10th if the captain attempted to leave her behind.

Or worse . . .

Yachiru might complain to Kenpachi.

And Momo really wanted to be in one piece on her wedding day. So, Momo somehow found herself sweetly asking, "Well, would you like to come with me?"

While Yachiru was talking to Momo, Yumichika and the few non-injured shinigami from squad 11 was busy looking for _her_.

"If we can't find her, the captain is going to be angry." Yumichika grumbled aloud to himself as he continued through the library.

Of course Yachiru was the last one missing. Everyone else had been found and had gone through the training exercise. In other words, in true 11th squad fashion, they had been found and then beaten up with practice swords. Yachiru, as always, was being difficult.

He spun around as he heard a creak from a couple of aisles away. "I've finally found you," Yumichika smirked quietly, hands going for his zanpaktou as he tiptoed towards the source of the noise.

Considering that the idiots in her squad had not discovered her, Yachiru had finally grown bored with hide and seek—hence, why she was wandering around on her own, finding random shinigami to bother. "Does Whitey have candy?" she asked, deciding to go for a completely different type of activity.

"I think Rangiku hid some in her desk for energy boosts. If not, there is probably some in the kitchen." _Or at least I hope so_, thought Momo to herself as she gently moved the vice-captain off her, so she could stand up.

"Okay let's go see Whitey!"

Whitey, at the moment, was busy trying not to throttle his big-mouthed lieutenant. In a voice dripping with sarcasm, he told Rangiku as he moved his hand off of her mouth, "Yes, I am getting married and thank you so much for telling all of Soul Society. Now, we will not even have to worry about invitations."

"You're welcome! See I'm a genius!" smirked Rangiku smugly.

Toshiro counted to ten, buried the urge to bang his head on the desk, and concentrated on not turning his office into Antarctica.

_That's Weird, _thought Yumichika from across the Seiretei. _I could have sworn there was someone here a few seconds ago!_ A sudden sparkle from one of the musty books caught his eye. He picked it up. On closer inspection, he realized the sparkle came from a piece of glass that was sticking out, acting as a bookmark. _Well whoever it was, it could not have been Yachiru. The only thing she ever reads is picture books. She would get too bored with this. _As Yumichika skimmed the first few paragraphs of the bookmarked page, he felt the air stir behind him. Before he could contemplate drawing his sword, his world went black.

Meanwhile, Rangiku sat twisting a strand of hair around. "I think I know, but who is the lucky girl?" she questioned as her mind snapped out of its sluggish state.

At the moment, the lucky girl Rangiku was asking about stopped short in confusion; the pathways in front of her branched off in two different directions. She had been going to the 10th now for decades, yet Momo occasionally still managed to get herself lost. It did not help that Yachiru was clinging to her shoulder and screaming, "Left. Go left Peaches! I saw another girl go that way earlier. She was weird and had emerald green hair!" _No wonder Captain Kenpachi is always not on time for anything_,Momo thought with a slight laugh. She could not help but think of Toshiro a week ago and when he . . .

"You're late," Momo said lightly as she stared up at the night stars. The air was crisp, and she heard him plop down close beside her on the roof.

"How did you hear me coming?" Toshiro grumbled.

"I am a captain now, remember. You can not do that captainy-sneaky thing anymore," Momo teased.

Toshiro just cocked an eyebrow and smirked, "Want to bet Bedwetter, and, just so you know, the words captainy-sneaky thing makes no sense."

Momo half heartedly punched him in the shoulder and frowned. The slight smell of alcohol on Toshiro's breath surprised her. She had never heard of him drinking before. _I wonder what has him all riled up._

"Look, I was kidding, and I am sorry I am late," Toshiro hurriedly stated, mistaking Momo's expression.

Momo blinked, beamed, and then quickly shook her head. "No, it's fine. We really did not set up an official time anyway."

_Even after all of these years, she still does not want people to worry about her_, Toshiro thought with a smile. He took a deep breath, tried to control his racing heart, and aloud said, "Still, I might have something to make it up to you." He grinned at Momo's curiously cocked head.

"What is it Shiro-chan?" she asked.

Toshiro swallowed nervously, ignoring the pet name.

_You have battled hollows, arrencear, and Aizen. Prodigy, this should be a piece of cake, _urged his katana.

Toshiro replied, _Easy for you to say, Hyorinmaru! You are not the one doing it. And really, I think I would prefer tackling some hollows right now! _

_Sorry. There are none in the area, _remarked Hyorinmaru dryly. _Just go!_

"Look. How do you feel about me Momo?" asked Toshiro.

Poor, slightly confused Momo was a little scared about answering the question, "Umm. What does that have to do with what you said before?"

"Just answer the question," Toshiro sighed.

"Okay." She leaned back for several seconds, diamonds glittering in her eyes. "You have always been there for me, even when I am a complete idiot."

He opened his mouth to remind her for the thousandth time to think a little higher of herself, but he managed to hold his tongue as she plowed onward.

"I thought that I had lost you during the Winter War. I have never been so scared. You are the one who kept me sane and eventually got the ghost of Aizen out of my head. For all of that, I will always be grateful." As she shivered from the memories, she felt Toshiro place his haori on her shoulders. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it." Toshiro muttered in a voice thick with emotion.

"Since the war you have been the one helping me recover. You even encouraged me to become a captain. I guess what I am trying to say is . . . that considering you are my best friend, I lo-like you a lot!" she finished. _I almost let love slip, oops. _Exactly when _like_ had changed to _love_ was not clear to her, but, against her better judgment, it had happened. Momo felt her cheeks go scarlet, and she snuck a quick glance at Toshiro who, to her amazement, looked thunderstruck at her honesty. "Now, it is your turn to tell what you think about me. Don't argue, fair is fair." Momo countered lightly, contently watching the stars above, begging her cheeks to return to their normally pale hue.

Toshiro stared at the girl—no woman—in front of him whom he had guided through the past few years. While he had held her hand when she awoke after the Winter War and had slowly gained a deeper relationship with her, he did not think he deserved so much credit for the amazing progress his childhood friend had made. She was the one who had never given up, even during the post-coma anxiety attacks and the hard combat training. He drank in Momo's every detail: her serene gaze, her pulled up hair, and her petite frame that glowed in the moonlight. _Well here it goes, _Toshiro thought as he took the plunge. "In front of me, I see a very stubborn, wonderful, and determined woman. Even though she has been through so much, she still smiles and laughs like nothing has ever happened. She is beautiful and melts my heart of ice." He paused, trying to sum up his whirling thoughts. "Even though she believes I saved her, in reality, she saved me."

Momo's eyes began to glisten. This was the same Toshiro, the captain of ice, who had teased her when she was little. He was just maturing exponentially.

"She is my best friend and . . . I was wondering . . . if shewouldbemywife?"

Yep. Maturing exponentially.

Momo's heart fluttered, and she whipped her face hopefully towards the younger captain. Momo stated softly, just to make sure she had not heard him wrong, "Arigatou Toshiro, but I did not catch that last part. What was it?"

Toshiro reached into a fold of his robes, and pulled out a closed, elaborately decorated white and red fan that had a ring dangling from it. The fan represented future wealth and growing in numbers; the red dye was for good luck and the white beading was for purity. The ring represented an unending circle of commitment and unity. Lost in Momo's chocolate eyes, Toshiro whispered. "I love you. Will you marry me?"

He held the gift out toward her, and Momo clapped and gasped in happiness. The starlight reflected a rainbow of colors off of the diamond engagement ring hanging from a silk thread at the end of the fan. It was a small band with a little diamond heart in the center.

"Oh…they're beautiful Toshiro! Yes, of course I will marry you," whispered Momo as tears ran down her cheeks.

"That's great, but why are you crying?" the wide-eyed Toshiro asked. "Did I do something wrong?"

"You silly bakka," hiccupped Momo delightedly. "Like usual, you did everything perfectly."

"Well, I got the perfect girl!" said Toshiro, still confused." He untied the ring and gently wiped the tears from his love's eyes. "Congratulations, soon to be Momo Hitsugaya," he said, sliding the engagement band on her shaking ring finger. He squeezed her hand to calm her down, and searched her face as she searched his. _She looks happier than I have seen her in a long time,_ thought Toshiro with joy. The moment was perfect for him, well, except that Hyorinmaru was cheering obnoxiously loud in the teenager's head. _I guess you can't have everything,_ Toshiro laughed silently to himself.

He was smothered in a bear hug. "Arigatou Shiro-chan!"

_Well, then again, maybe you can,_ corrected Toshiro as he relaxed and hugged Momo back. "You're welcome, love." Chills ran down his spine and his heart sped up. As they broke comfortably away, he softly leaned forward and kissed Momo, who gave a soft moan of pleasure, on the forehead.

"How did I get so lucky?" Momo asked in wonderment as she leaned back against his shoulder.

Toshiro laughed. After a few minutes of comfortable silence he asked calmly. "So when exactly do you want to get married?"

"As soon as possible, I think." responded Momo excitedly. "I know this is all new for both of us, but I'm ready."

"Hai! I will talk with Captain Yamamoto then tomorrow," Toshiro smiled. Then he blinked in confusion. Out of nowhere, by the 12th division, lights popped into the sky and exploded into beautiful fireworks, first green, then orange, then forest green, then indigo, then neon pink, then dark red, then indigo, and teal, and then Toshiro lost track.

"Toshiro, did you plan this just for me? You know I enjoy winter fireworks," squealed Momo.

Toshiro's eyes squeezed together and his grip tightened slightly in concentration. "That's just it. I did not ask for these Momo. You would have thought they would have been mentioned at the weekly captain's meeting yesterday."

Momo looked worriedly at him and bit her lip. "That's odd. I hope Kurostuchi's lab did not catch fire or something." Several minutes later she lightened up after not sensing anything wrong with the rietsu anywhere, "Well, let's just enjoy them. Talk about perfect timing."

"Yeah," said Toshiro, trying to ignore the unease in the back of his mind for Momo's sake. The fireworks were beautiful and lasted for a good hour, which was too long for Momo, who was tired from the day's excitements. After a few minutes of yawning and blinking, Momo drifted off to sleep with her head on Toshiro's lap. He smiled at her angelic form. Being careful not to jostle her, he picked her up, bridal style, crept into her bedroom, and tucked her into her futon.

As he began to get up, he heard her stir and mutter, "I love you."

Toshiro froze for a few seconds; that was the first time she had admitted it to him out loud. "I love you too." Toshiro blissfully whispered as he gave Momo one last sweet kiss on the forehead before disappearing through her window. "Goodnight, Momo!"

"Momo," Toshiro replied as he also thought back to the amazing proposal. "I am marrying Momo." _Since when did I start getting butterflies in my stomach when I think about her at all_, he wondered. _Maybe it's puberty?_

"It took you two long enough!" laughed Rangiku. She saw her captain's eyes widen in shock. Then he crossed his arms in reluctant acceptance and nodded in agreement. _I have not seen him smile like that in ages,_ the vice-captain thought with Rangiku clapped her hands together; she had a wonderful idea. _Why didn't I think of it sooner? _"I know. How about we drink some sake to celebrate! I can invite Kira, Renji, Momo of course, Nane-"

"Absolutely not!" snapped Toshiro, cutting her off. _You have already gone way over your tolerance limit Rangiku, and you have a very HIGH tolerance limit. _

_Why I am stuck with such a party pooper for a captain,_ Rangiku sighed to herself. _I should have known he would shoot me down._

Her captain continued in his typical no-nonsense tone, "Since you probably scared Momo to death—not to mention everyone in a one hundred mile radius—I am going to go find her. _You_ can finish the paperwork that is spread out all over there on the floor that is due by the end of _today_."

"But, Captain, it's so much. How did it get so spread out anyway?" Rangiku whined.

"If you would have done it when you were supposed to, it would not be a lot." said Toshiro indifferently. He also ran a hand through his hair and said stiffly, "And you should not leave piles of paperwork where people can trip over them; it would save you the time of regrouping them later Rangiku."

Rangiku saw the small bruise on Toshiro's head as he started walking toward the door and laughed, almost. Instead, her cunning mind began forming a plan to get out of the paperwork.

Toshiro paused and slowly called over his shoulder, "Oh, I almost forgot! If you don't do the paperwork, I am taking away your hidden stashes of sake."

"What hidden stashes?" asked Rangiku, deciding to play innocent. It had been a long time since Toshiro had threatened her with _that_ blackmail. _Oops, I guess I really did make him angry!_

At the same time, Momo thought triumphantly,_ Almost there!_ She skidded to a stop in fright though as a hell butterfly appeared out of nowhere beside her.

Momo was only about four blocks away from Toshiro's office.

Momo held out a finger for the butterfly to sit on as it delivered its message. "Captain Momo Hinamori, there is a mandatory emergency captain's meeting in ten minutes. I repeat there is a mandatory emergency captain's meeting in ten minutes."

"Ah, shucks! Does that mean I can not visit Whitey and I have to go back to Kenny?" asked Yachiru as the butterfly flew away.

_I could come back to Toshiro's after the meeting; I will see him there anyway. If I do it that way I would not have to worry about babysitting Yachiru when I am trying to talk to him,_ thought Momo, ecstatic about getting the girl off of her hands, or at least her aching shoulders. The captain was a pretty sweet and easy going woman, but she had some issues she needed to deal with at the moment, and Yachiru was not making them any easier. Unfortunately something was holding her from going straight to the captain's meeting. "We still need to visit Whitey, but you do have to go back to Kenny before the captain's meeting, okay."

Toshiro, meanwhile, rolled his eyes at Rangiku. "Let's see—just the two bottles under the couch, the vodka under the loose floorboard, and that jar of stuff in the fridge that I am sure you _mistakenly _mislabeled as milk."

_Shoot! I thought labeling that booze as milk was fool proof! It can be really problematic having a genius as a captain, _sulked Rangiku. _At least he doesn't know about the stashes in the v-"_

"Oh, I almost forgot about the sake hidden in the flower vase that the 5th seat randomly put in the hallway, and whatever you have stored in your quarters." As Toshiro glanced at his lieutenant, he almost smirked at her blank faced, astonished expression.

Instead Toshiro sighed and lowered his pride a little. "Look, Momo has been begging me to let you be our official wedding planner, and I don't have a problem with that. My only condition is that you stay sober enough to do a good job. The faster you finish the paperwork, the quicker you can help pick out Momo's wedding outfit.

Rangiku knew what he really meant. Sometimes you just had to read between his lines to know that he truly cared. "Arigatou," she whispered with a voice full of unusual respect.

Momo spiked her spiritual pressure so Toshiro would know that she was close by.

Toshiro nodded, understanding that his vice-captain was not only talking about being his and Momo's wedding planner. After working with Rangiku for so many years, he had her figured out down to the letter. _Wait a second_, he thought suddenly as he felt quickly approaching spiritual pressure. Toshiro blinked; the lovebird would know that approaching reaitsu anywhere, and it seemed uncontrolled. He flew forward and began to open the sliding door at the same time as Momo did from the other side. She fell forward from the momentum with a slight scream of surprise, and Toshiro steadied her. Since they were about the same height now—Toshiro was a half a centimeter taller—they were gazing eye to eye. They blinked, blushed, and Toshiro stated, "You look like you just got out of bed."

"Not . . . exactly!" Momo stammered as she caught her breath; the air was so cold she could see it come out in puffs in front of her. _Way to go Rangiku!_

Toshiro arched an eyebrow. "So, what happened exactly ?" Loose hair was spilling around Momo's face, just like it had been that winter day a few years ago. Thankfully, this time she was not deathly pale.

"Well, basically I slept in just _a little_ and then did combat training with Senna. Then _someone_ told practically all of Soul Society about a certain wedding-"

"Sorry," interjected Rangiku meekly.

"It's okay," sighed Momo. "We would have had to tell everyone somehow anywa-"

"Give me candy, Whitey!" Yachiru interrupted impatiently, deciding she had listened to Momo talk long enough. Against bitter protests, she proceeded to jump on Toshiro's head and try to pull his hair out.

_No wonder Momo is so flustered,_ grumbled Yachiru's victim to himself. _She has been dealing with this spaz. _

"And then I ran into _her_, _literally_, and got a message from a hell butterfly saying that there is an emergency captain's meeting in eight minutes," Momo finished breathlessly as she helped Toshiro pry off Yachiru.

"What? How come we did not get a butterfly about the meeting? I did not realize that any of the butterflies in our division was missing." Toshiro mused, finally getting the wild Yachiru about a foot away from him.

He turned toward the nervous laughter coming from the shinigami situated at his desk.

"Um, well, Captain, I might have heard that we were missing a butterfly." Rangiku slipped the top form from the unfinished paperwork stack behind her back and flipped it into the trash can. "Well, since we are now aware that a butterfly is missing, I really do not think we have to worry about this report from Kenzai."

"RANGIKU!" yelled a very peeved captain. It figured that Rangiku had not gotten to the critical pieces of paperwork before she had decided to hide the whole stack. _This should have been taken care of a few days ago then!_

Momo wrung her sleeves together, not really excited about having to interrupt this discussion. "Toshiro, shouldn't we be going to the meeting? We're going to be late."

"Oh, yeah," Toshiro groaned. "Rangiku, read that WHOLE form and then TALK to Kenzai. She might know what is going on. Then FINISH the paperwork."

"Hai, Captain."

Toshiro swung Yachiru onto his shoulders. "Let's go! Remember what I said earlier Rangiku."

"Oh, have you asked her to be our wedding planner yet?" Momo interjected quickly.

"Yes!" confirmed Rangiku.

"What about my candy?" Yachiru yelled.

"You can get some after the meeting _if_ you behave." Toshiro threatened, beginning to get overwhelmed with all the women blabbering at once. Then he responded to Momo's perplexed look. "The 8th squad captain has felt the unnecessary need to shower me with sweets after the captain's meetings for a while now."

"Oh," Momo whispered, understanding instantly. She shook her head like a wet dog; she had a job to do. "We have to go; I know a shortcut." They began to run out of the door.

"Wait!" called Toshiro quickly. He paused, did a quick 180, which thrilled Yachiru, and swiped the wedding license off of the desk.

Then they vanished and left Rangiku yelling behind them, "I almost forgot to say congratulations!" She stared at the first form in annoyance. _I guess I should get going if I want to help Momo._ As she rushed through the paperwork, Rangiku's mind could not stop thinking about the wedding. _Should it be traditional or western? We need a color scheme, date, time, dresses, food . . . _

Sunlight glinted off of Momo's engagement ring and into Toshiro's eyes as they neared the captain's meeting. "What do you think this is about?" Momo asked worriedly.

"Don't worry. It's probably nothing." Toshiro answered halfheartedly, trying to reassure himself. "You know, it would be the captain-commander's style to pull something like this to publicly announce our engagement." Deep down, he did not think it would be something as joyous as that.

They paused outside of the heavy doors that led into the 1st division headquaters.

"Are you ready?" Toshiro asked, giving Momo's hand a quick squeeze.

"Whenever you are," Momo resolutely vowed.

"I will not let them get right in your face." Toshiro promised, knowing Momo did not like being the center of attention. And considering that Rangiku had blabbed the news to the world, they would probably be hounded as soon as they got through the entrance. Momo's nervous smile but hard eyes told him everything he needed to know; she was prepared and was counting on him. He let go of her hand and reached forward. .

"Wait a second." They froze. "Were you going to ask me if I'm ready?" piped up the pink lump from the captain's shoulder.

"Actually . . . no, I wasn't planning on it."

Meanwhile, Ikkau obnoxiously asked into the thin air as he entered the library. "Yumichika, where the heck are you? Come on, we were supposed to regroup a half hour ago."

Unknown to him, Yumichika was unconscious and had a sword aimed at his throat.


	3. A Weird Captain's Meeting

Dictionary »

Disclaimer: Apparently I do not own Bleach or any of its characters. I wish I did; that would be fun. On that note, on with the story

A Not So Typical Captain's Meeting

With a final nod and a firm hand, Toshiro pushed open the doors.

Hanging back a foot, Momo blinked as the sunlight and unnatural stillness pooled through the growing crack. Then a roar of questions flooded her ears and a crowd of people pressed in on them.

"Is it you? Finally something to celebrate! He hasn't even said who he is marrying yet! It's Momo of course, so BACK OFF! Well who else would it be? See, I was right. When? Who is your be-! No I want to be the lucky person to congratulate them first. It's about Time! I know; it was taking forever. Kenny, nobody found me! WOULD YOU GUYS GIVE US SOME ROOM TO BREATH! Whitey promised to give me candy. I MEAN IT RENJI!" Momo shook her head, trying to figure out who was saying what. Of course, most of the dialogue was being supplied by Izuru, Renji, Yachiru and Shunsei. Predictably the protests and the dropping temperature came from the captain of ice himself, whom at the moment was looking a tad bit overwhelmed. The peace and quiet Momo had experienced a few seconds ago was out the door, but yet she smiled. The hectic pace reminded her of the days of the academy and the routine Momo had settled into during the last few years. Her friends were right there in the cacophony, causing the chaos like normal, and totally ready to back her up. She would not want it any other way.

Apparently someone else did. BANG! Momo flinched. Everyone else stopped to look at their superior who had apparently banged his walking stick against the ground.

"Everybody QUIET and get to your stations! This is an emergency meeting, so I expect all of us to treat it like one!" rumbled the captain commander as he once again felt like he should seriously consider retirement. He had Lieutenant Matsumoto to thank for that, like usual.

"Sorry Sir," responded Captain Hitsugaya coolly as everyone took their places. As he began to walk forward he did a double take at Captain Kuichiki's appearance.

"You owe me a haori. You can consider it as my wedding present," whispered Byakuya threateningly, so only they could hear, to Toshiro as he passed by.

Toshiro angrily blinked and quickly appraised the captain. The noble was covered in what looked like orange juice, and Toshiro had a sickening feeling he knew how Captain Kuchiki had gotten that way. It would have taken some shocking news to make a man with such a cool head spill his drink. "Understood." The squad 10 captain tightly replied as he went to his spot, privately seething.

Momo frowned. _I wonder what that was about? Toshiro looks upset about something._ Suddenly, she tried to cover her urge of laughter. Oh, Captain Kuchiki looks hilarious though.

_And why in the world am I stuck with getting him new clothes. Don't I have enough to worry about?_ Toshiro thought.

Totally intruding on the couple's thoughts, Captain Yamamoto stated, "I am afraid there has been a serious breach in security."

_Great, I had to ask._ Hitsugaya griped sarcastically.

_And people say you do not have a sense of humor_, cackled Hyorinmaru to his master.

_What?_ Momo thought in shock. She smoothed her hair back as she began to feel the beginnings of a headache. _This hasn't happened…since Aizen._

_Oh, shut up!_ Toshiro meanwhile snapped to his zanpaktou. _I wonder…the butterfly, does that have anything to do with it? And that guy, was he a figment of my imagination? He definitely was not from my squad. Is he involved?_

Actually, the guy Toshiro was thinking about was in it over his head. At this present moment, Shizuka Obake hesitated as he lifted up his sword for the killing blow. He checked for foreign reaitsu one more time, but the annoying brat from earlier seemed to have vanished. With an evil smile, he brought the blade down.

Back at the meeting, a sudden pull on Toshiro's snowy hair and the sound of Kenpachi loosening his sword beside him reminded Toshiro of another important issue at hand. The captain kicked himself for becoming so distracted that he had forgotten about the little devil. Toshiro gently tugged Yachiru off of him and returned her to Kenpachi, of course with a quick reminder to get candy from him after the meeting.

_He is better with kids than he wants to admit_, thought Momo contently from her place in line.

Across the room, on the other hand, the soutaicho grumbled quietly to himself,_ I am so tired of dealing with children._ And since the new captains and vice-captains had been instated and Kurosaki's gang had become regular visitors to Soul Society, he had many more young people to deal with. He glanced up and down the two lines. Of course he was still the soutaicho and taicho of the 1st division, even though he was seriously beginning to question why he was still here.

Squad 2's captain had not changed either. He was pleased to see by Soi Fong's mannerisms that she had some valuable intake for the discussion.

Izuru Kira had surprisingly stepped up two years ago to become the 3rd squad captain, and unlike his former officer he hardly ever smiled at all. Today was an exception.

Captain Yamamoto also felt comforted that Captain Unohana was still the gentle captain of squad 4.

Thankfully, she had not lost her healing touch over the years. She was one of the many people who had helped Momo Hinamori, the present 5th squad captain, heal and recover. It had been a hard road for the current captain, and in some respects she was still trying to get off of it. She once again had fallen into a coma right after the war; it was three months before she once again had woken up. Until she had gotten back on her own two feet, that _annoying_, prone to disaster substitute shinigami Kurosaki had pretty much become the _unofficial_ captain. It had given him something mildly constructive to do while he completed extensive rehab therapy with Shinji and the others. Eventually the teenager returned to earth with the vizards. A year ago Momo Hinamori was confidently given the rank of 5th squad captain.

Currently standing beside her, Captain Kuichiki was still the most composed present and mostly stayed out of trouble. To the soutaicho he was a godsend. And no, Captain Yamamoto did not really want to know how his kimono had turned orange.

Then the new Captain Iba of the 7th squad was just kind of there. His lieutenant, Nel, made more of an impact than he did most of the time.

Good old Shunsui, the popular and drunken captain of squad 8, still liked to take center stage. However, since his best friend's death, he had transformed into being more melancholy and quiet. Lieutenant Ise was even beginning to act _friendly_ towards him out of desperation.

Always trying to learn something new and follow in his idol's footsteps, Hisagi had quickly earned the right to become the captain of the 9th squad.

And of course where would they be without Toshiro Hitsugaya as the icy captain of the 10th squad? Well… Captain Yamamoto could not help but wonder sometimes.

He did know for certain though that if Kenpachi was still not the 11th squad captain, there would be a lot less people visiting squad 4 daily, a lot less destructive accidents, and much more peace and quiet. That would most defiantly be an improvement, but he did not see Kenpachi resigning or dying anytime soon.

And Captain Kurostuchi of squad 12 was just plain creepy, end of story.

Renji Abarai, the taicho of the 13th squad, was pretty much the only other young person besides Kurosaki who could show that he cared and be extremely obnoxious at the same time. They could be twins. Shortly before Kurosaki left, Renji Abarai transferred over to the 13th after finally winning a friendly fight against Byakuaya Kuchiki. Rukia Kuchiki had stepped up to take her friend's place as fukutaicho, even though she preferred the 13th. She had the capabilities to be a candidate for the captaincy, but her brother was not willing to grant her such a dangerous position. He was not exactly thrilled about letting his adopted sister become his vice captain as it was, but they were thin on people capable of the position. Lieutenant Kuchiki could still often be found at the 13th, which Renji practically kept the same out of respect for the late Ukitake, with her childhood friend, or out on a mission by herself, or occasionally even with him, to the world of the living, precisely Karakura Town.

Overall it was a very complex and unique group that never failed to surprise Captain Yamamoto.

"Okay, since this is an important meeting and all, who knows who decided to steal my special fireworks? I really am getting tired of asking around!" grumbled Captain Kurostuchi suddenly to everyone.

Never failed! "Captain, I believe this is an emergency meeting. The fireworks can wait," said the soutaicho firmly.

"Actually you might want to rethink that Captain." interjected Soi Fong seriously.

"I don't think so dude!" BANG! Across the compound Ikkau grinned as his sword took the blow meant for Yumichika. As he pushed his opponent away and shielded Yumichika's unconscious body, Ikkau said, "Attempted kidnapping and murder is a crime if you do it behind someone's back. Now before I take you down, who are you exactly?"

The raven haired, bright amber eyed stranger said nothing. He was so still he practically blended into the shadows.

"Fine, have it your way. I have not had a good challenge in a while anyhow!" roared Ikkau as the charged forward.

Meanwhile Captain Yamamoto curiously asked his master of intelligence, "And why is that?"

"Because," Soi Fong replied as she threw a badge at his feet. "That was the night one of my officers went missing from patrol at the 12."

"And why did you have people in the 12th anyhow," snapped Captain Mayuri.

Soi Fong glared at him and continued like nothing had happened. "And this is the only item of his we have so far recovered." It instantly became so silent; you could have heard a pin drop.

Meanwhile, Ikkau groaned to himself. _This guy is strong. He fights in a different style than I have ever seen before. Not like the captain, but not like Aizen either!_

Back at the meeting, Captain Yamamoto was glad to see that Soi Fong's grim comment had gotten everyone's attention. "Okay has anyone seen or felt anything out of place? Remember, full contact stopped for a full minute at 10:21 A.M. today according to the Department of Research and Development."

"So that gives us a whole time lapse of one week to work with," grumbled Renji. "Wonderful"

Momo shuffled her feet guiltily, thinking back. Nope, besides the earthshaking proposal nothing out of the ordinary had happened to her or the 5th squad.

_I wonder if I should mention the man_, Toshiro thought, his mind racing from possibility to possibility.

The man Toshiro was brooding at the moment spun his tan arms in a circle and murmured some words under his breath.

"I can't hear you," roared Ikkau as he once again took the offensive. Suddenly purple smoke stung his eyes and he was swinging into thin air. Choking, Ikkau searched vainly around him, but the man was gone. He glared at Yumichika's limp body, "What did you get yourself into? We had better go tell people about this. Man, you look horrible!"

"Well Sir," Izuru meanwhile began. "I don't know how important this is, but there were about 5 uniforms that did not make it back from the cleaners."

"Check it out. And rely your findings to the other squad captains or vice captains." Captain Yamamoto ordered.

"Hai!"

"I saw a girl with green hair!" interjected Yachiru.

Toshiro buried the urge to roll his eyes. _That does not really help us._

"We'll find her later. Just pipe it down for a minute okay!" Kenpachi grumbled.

Toshiro slowly added, "My division seems to be missing a Hell Butterfly. I am having people check it out." _Rangiku, you had better not fail me now._

Back at the 10th Rangiku took a moment to stretch. It was taking forever to do the paperwork, and she still had about a fourth of it left. As Rangiku stared at a request for more spending money, her mind just wasn't focusing; not that Toshiro would count that as a valid excuse. After all, Toshiro was the only person who would expect to her to go through her day as if nothing had happened right after dropping the bombshell of his upcoming marriage and sprinting off to an emergency captain's meeting. Thanks to him, the girl was left alone to wallow in her dreams. "Oh, Gin. You know if you had not changed sides, I might be planning my own wedding right now instead of Momo's and Taicho's?" Rangiku bitterly mumbled aloud. She continued reproachfully to herself, head falling into her hands, "This is dangerous thinking Ran, and you know it!" The fiery redhead angrily scraped back her chair, stood up, and hurried out of the office. The confused lieutenant was going to go see Kenzai; the paperwork would have to wait.

Hopping from foot to foot, Momo sighed to herself. It was not as if she did not think the meeting was important, she just felt she could be of better use elsewhere. _Is this ever going to get over? No one is coming up with a brilliant strategy for figuring this out or anything. It is the usual protocol for a threatening situation: everyone keep an eye out, up your patrols, and think all your actions through. This means you Kenpachi! _

Seeming to be under the same impression, Captain Yamamoto cleared his throat, breaking up the chatter and low jibes from most of the captains. "Quiet down! Oh, before we disperse I almost forgot to publically announce the engagement of Toshiro Hitsugaya and Momo Hinamori.

_Thanks_, two certain people sarcastically thought in unison.

"Well, they are getting married," the captain commander continued offhandedly. "And I now officially declare that zanpaktous are allowed to be carried at all times for protection and this meeting is adjourn-"

The doors bursting open by a the very winded Ikkau, who was dragging the banged up Yumichika behind him, drowned out Captain Yamamoto words as everyone looked on in complete shock.

The 1st squad captain beat his stick on the ground. "3rd seat this is a cap-" he began fiercely.

"Forgive me Sir, but this is important," interjected Ikkau. He gazed intently at Kenpachi. "Captain, this bakka got himself cornered in the library just now." He blinked in amazement as Yachiru, who was sitting on the captain's shoulders, popped out while looking like she was having the time of her life._ We found her, the brat!_

While Ikkau was crashing the captain's meeting, Rangiku's mouth was dropping open about 5 feet as she stared at Kenzai. "What do you mean? You sent us a report and everything!"

Now Kenzai looked even more confused than Rangiku, "No. I have no idea what you are talking about. All the butterflies are here. If you do not believe me, you are welcome to count them yourself."

Rangiku did- 10 times, and they were all there… _Shoot! Taicho is not going to be happy about this!_

"Looks like he was not the only one cornered," meanwhile said Kenpachi with a raised eyebrow as he appraised his subordinate.

Being a healer, Unohana instantly stepped towards them. "Sir, may I take them to the 4th?"

"Of course," replied the head captain. "But on the condition that you answer a question of mine Ikkau. What was the intruder after?"

"Beats me!"

Toshiro grimaced and asked boldly, "Do remember what he looked like?"

"Charcoal hair, gold eyes, and black cape," answered Ikkau, against Yachiru's bitter protests, as him and the rest of the 11th squad members followed Unohana out of the room.

Toshiro's eyes widened. _Impossible! That is exactly like…_ He could feel Momo's concerned gaze; of course she could usually see right through him.

_Usually_, laughed his dragon.

_Oh, shut up!_ He groaned. _Of course something like this pops out NOW, right before the wedding. How serious is it? Who is he? _Toshiro was so deep in his varying thoughts; he did not realize that the old man had dismissed them until Renji hit him on the back, snapping him instantly out of his reverie.

"Wow, I can't believe I am saying this, but you look even more grim than usual. You had better lighten up. If you don't stop frowning, your face will be frozen like that. And I don't think your bride to be will appreciate it," teased Renji as he winked at Momo, who was walking up to them.

"Yeah! I have to go, but congratulations!" called Izuru eagerly as he hurried past the trio.

"Arigatou!" shouted Momo. Toshiro, like usual, just gave a curt nod.

"So, who is going to be in it?" asked Renji, looking anywhere except at his friends.

"Well…we were thinking," began Momo evilly.

As Soi Fong walked past, Toshiro took a quick step towards her, and glanced uncomfortably over his shoulder. Momo nodded in understanding and continued to speak louder as Toshiro continued forwards and whispered to Soi Fong, "Um, can I ask you a quick question?"

The captain stopped and gazed at him expectantly. Toshiro sighed and took the plunge, "Look, I need you to answer truthfully. Did you have any of your plainclothes agents in the 10th?"

Soi Fong's eyes narrowed, "No. Why?"

Toshiro heart sank; he was afraid that would be the answer. "No reason, but thank you for the information. I'll let you go." Toshiro spun around and attempted to smile as he began walking back towards Momo and Renji.

As the icy captain turned away, he missed Soi Fong open her mouth to say something, close it, glare at him in concentration, turn away, and run silently out of the building.

Toshiro slightly shook his head as Momo slowed in the middle of her sentence. _Later_, he mouthed.

Meanwhile Rangiku was sprinting as fast as possible towards the 10th. She was focusing so hard on trying to remember where she had set Kenzai's form; she missed the green haired figure shadowing her in the distance.

Back at the 1st, Momo beamed at her fiancé and continued as if nothing had happened. "Well, what I am trying to say Renji… is… well we um decided… wanted to ask you if…"

"C'mon Momo, spit out already," Renji jokingly urged.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow and took pity on her. "Would you be our best man?"

Renji stuttered, blinked, and rubbed his hair back, "This is surprising." _I honestly figured it would be Izuru or even Ichigo. Good thing I had no orange juice in my mouth to spit out at anybody! _Renji silently mused as he quirked his mouth at his two friends. "I would do anything for you two kids though. I'm in!"

"Thank you!" yelled Momo in delight.

"Now that that is settled, I need you children to come up here a minute," called Captain Yamamoto from his desk at the front of the room. All three of them jumped a little; they had no idea he was listening in.

"How long are people going to call me a kid?" Toshiro sighed softly as they approached the head captain. He pulled out the wedding license and set in on the table. Glancing apologetically at Momo, Toshiro stated, "Things got a little hectic before she could sign."

"Understandable," the old man rumbled as he handed Momo a calligraphy pen. Brushing back a strand of hair, she set the pen on the paper. As the friend who had done nothing but try to protect her all of these years gently placed a hand on her shoulder, she signed, totally prepared to take his last name, Hitsugaya.

Toshiro had not even realized he had been holding his breath until Captain Yamamoto began talking again. "Now, before I sign my consent in front of you and the required witness there are some things that need to be discussed."

Across the Seiretei, Rangiku stopped in her tracks, becoming distracted by the fluffy clouds in the sky. Shaking her head, she continued forward, but not as urgently.

A few seconds later, Rangiku once again stopped. "Now what was I going to do?"

"Hai," Momo and Toshiro meanwhile replied.

"Do you two promise to not let your feelings take overtake your responsibilities as a shinigami?"

Toshiro and Momo glanced at each other. "Hai!"

"Do you promise to protect each other?"

This time the chocolate and turquoise eyes locked and never blinked. "Hai!"

_With everything I have._ Toshiro vowed to himself. _Why do you even bother asking?_

"Seriously, what was it?" grumbled Rangiku as she neared the 10th. "Oh yeah, time to pick out Momo's wedding dress!"

The green haired figure tailing Rangiku smiled and tucked Kenzai's form she had sniped from the 10ths office deeper into her pocket. The memory charm recently placed on the hell butterfly was working even faster now that the red head had come into direct contact with the source. The green haired lady, satisfied, vanished into the shadows, as Rangiku turned around and started heading to the 5th division, the hell butterfly vanishing from her mind entirely.

"Will you protect each other, even at the point of death?" continued the soutaicho back at the 1st.

"Hai!" the couple responded, their eyes hard and blazing, spiritual pressures rising.

In a softer tone, Captain Yamamoto finished and gently took the calligraphy pen from Momo. "With you both being captains this pairing will not be easy. It will even be dangerous, but you two are strong. Stay together, trust in each others abilities. Do you understand?"

"Hai"

The two were so intently staring at each other, they missed Captain Yamamoto add his name to the license. The wedding was official. "You are free to go soon to be Mr. and Mrs. Hitsugaya! At this point in time, the ceremony can still be at the assumed date and time."

As they said their thankyous and goodbyes to Renji and burst out into the sunlight, Toshiro and Momo sighed in relief. "I have to go fill things in for Senna," Momo breathed.

"Well I have to go hunt down Rangiku," said Toshiro. He smiled at Momo. "Meet you in 4 hours?"

Author's note

Sorry this took so long to update. With school starting I cannot promise when I will update again. I am not as happy with this chapter as I was with the others. What do you guys think? Please tell me! If I don't get any feedback, how can I get any better?

Next chapter will have some serious wedding planning and laughter.

Later

Hinakyrie


	4. One Fire Too Many

One Fire too Many

Disclaimer: I wish owned bleach, but obviously I don't.

"WHAT!" a couple of different voices screamed. One came from Senna, who had stopped training and playing with her hair ribbon for a second to stare at her superior, who had just given her the overview of the meeting.

The other came from Toshiro, who was busy at the 10th yelling at the stack of paperwork that that still remained in front of him. The top sheet had Rangiku's signature, a smiley face with its tongue sticking out, on the bottom of it, mocking him. "I told her to FINISH it!"

Little did he know that his lieutenant, who was on death row, was nearing the 5th, probably the only place she could claim sanctuary from her taicho's freezing exasperation.

"So what are we supposed to do?" Senna meanwhile asked at the 5th, playfully going back to her hair ribbon. It amazed Momo how Senna could always act so optimistic, and yet be so qualified for her position. While Momo was not a gloomy sort of person, she knew better than anyone that life and death was not a bed of roses. Her past experiences had made that quite clear.

"Patrols up, the usual. I might take the rookies through the sewers, that was how Ichigo and the others got around…that one time." Momo sighed. She was just hoping over time that her lieutenant's energy and attitude would rub off on her, make her feel more carefree. Momo had found Senna walking around one windy night dazed and confused about three months before she obtained captaincy, a few weeks after Ichigo had left. Seeing herself in the broken girl, she warmly accepted Senna into her ranks. After discovering the beautiful yet dangerous zanpaktou Senna had soon mastered, she had never regretted her choice.

"Well, duh. Do we ever do anything different?" laughed Senna as she back flipped for fun, the unusually cold air not bothering her a bit. "I was more concerned with this coming up around the same time as your wedding!"

Momo froze. "How did you know; we had not told any-"

"You just have that radiant glow." Senna suddenly smirked. "And word gets around."

"Rangiku?"

"Maybe"

A few seconds passed. "I hate that girl."

"Awwwwwwwh, you don't really mean that do you? I mean I ditched my paperwork to come and see you and everything!" complained a voice behind Momo.

"Still hate you," sighed Momo trying not to smile amid Senna's laughter, failing miserably as she turned towards Rangiku. She had been so distracted; she had not even felt the approaching spiritual pressure, which was rare. "You're asking for it. Toshiro seemed a little tense at the meeting."

"He always is like that," shrugged Rangiku, waving it off.

Momo rolled her eyes, knowing better. "I know this is border line on prying but did you discover anything about the butterfly?" she asked carefully.

Rangiku blinked innocently, "What butterfly?"

Senna and Momo exchanged quick glances, "…The butterfly?"

"No idea what you are talking about," Rangiku said truthfully.

"You're kidding right?" asked Senna, trying to laugh out the awkward silence.

"Nope, should I be?" replied Rangiku bringing a hand up to her chin in a thoughtful facade.

"Please concentrate really hard," Momo whispered intently, a frown working its way into her expression.

"You are acting more like the taicho everyday," groaned Rangiku. _Scary; I mean I can barely handle one!_

In return, Momo tried to give her a mirror image of Toshiro's livid glare. Under the intense gaze she saw Rangiku seriously rack her mind.

Rangiku eyes widened as she opened her mouth. Momo and Senna found themselves leaning forward with expectation, "Did this have anything to do with maybe wanting butterfly pins in your hair on your wedding?"

The listeners stepped backwards in disappointment. As Momo opened her mouth to argue, Rangiku grabbed her hand and started to pull her away. "What are you doing?" Momo gasped.

Rangiku rolled her eyes like it was the most obvious thing in Soul Society. "We have to go pick out your wedding dress and the outfits for the bridesmaids of course."

"But, I have to fill in the squ-" began Momo trying to break free.

"Don't worry I can handle that part. You have to focus on the wedding at the moment; it is only a week away after all." sang Senna eagerly, skipping to keep up. "You can take everyone underground when you get back. I am better with the sky above me after all!"

"Wait a second Rangiku!" Thankfully she stopped. "Senna…I was hoping you would be one of my bridesmaids; I have come to depend on you so much in just the short time we have met. I can wait until we both can go," said Momo, gazing at Senna seriously.

Senna beamed at Momo's confidence in her. "I would be honored, but go on. You seem stressed and this should help. You just have to promise to let me help you pick out the cake when you go. Hopefully they will have free samples!"

"Deal, I am counting on you," smiled Momo as she allowed Rangiku to continue dragging her forward. "Try not to get everyone on a sugar high again, okay!" Momo called laughing as Senna gave her a mock salute.

"What do you mean there is nothing we can do at the present time! Look, we need him awake so I can chew him up and down for being caught so unaware!" meanwhile yelled Ikkau to Hanaterou at the 4th. Yumichika lay peacefully in a hospital bed about 5 feet beside them, and Kenpachi and Yachiru were out on patrol.

Hanaterou grimaced but firmly said, "He needs his rest; he will wake up when he wants to. The captain has not ordered the situation a high enough of a situation to speed up his recovery Ikkau." Hanaterou did not have the heart to tell Ikkau that if his bloody screaming had not awoken his friend up yet, nothing would; the medic was too busy shaking. _It is weird though, his vital signs should not be so weak for just getting hit on the head_, Hanaterou worriedly thought. He was not about to say that aloud either. Ikkau looked close to loosing all control, and Hanaterou preferred being conscience.

"SERIOUSLY, IN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING THIS WOULD BE CHILD'S PLAY FOR ORIHIME, AND SHE IS STLL RECOVERING FROM THE WINTER WAR!"

Barely.

Unfortunately, some peace and quiet was sounding good right about now to the medic. The visitors had become heavier over the last couple of days, and not because of increased partying. However, Yumichika was the first serious one they had had in awhile._ Where are those knockout pills Izuru always gloats about? Better question: where is taicho?_ Hanaterou sighed, his usually high patience wearing thin.

As Hanaterou was silently begging for a reprieve, Rangiku had Momo in the Rukong district, shoving dresses over her head.

"Oww, Rangiku this one is caught in my hair!" called a Momo from under a mountain of blue fabric.

"Sorry," winced Rangiku as she helped Momo out. "That one just won't work."

"You said that about 2 hours ago!" cried a despairing Momo as she flopped to the ground in a robe the dear seamstress had set out. The captain knew the kido barrier she had placed to shield their energy was probably cracking from her frustration, but she was past caring. She really did not understand why Rangiku was trying to be so secretive anyway.

"Have faith, we'll find the perfect one," laughed Rangiku leaving to look for more.

Momo glanced into the mirror beside her, and quickly tore her gaze away. She was running on about two hours of sleep, and it was starting to show. By the time she had finished checking over the rough guest list she had made last evening, which was about 500 people with the combined squads and their friends, her imagination had been running too wild for her to sleep. She had spent the rest of the night on the roof, beginning to wonder if she should just beg Toshiro to elope.

"Oh, I might have found one," called Rangiku from the front. "It is so sexy; it has a bow and everything!"

_Enough moping! Maybe this is the one,"_ Momo scolded herself flying out to see what Rangiku had found, and stared at the ugly dress. Aloud she stuttered, "Maybe…we should forget about the dress and go with something…more traditional. I know we are going more for a Western wedding but seriously!"

The dear lady at the counter nodded sympathetically. They had been through about all of the dresses, and none of them had looked right. Momo's eyes pleaded with her to try and beat some reason into Rangiku, but before the old lady could open her mouth Rangiku dropped the dress and started to scream. Momo eyes widened as she spun around and instantly figured out why.

Toshiro's spiritual pressure was flying this way, and it was raging.

"HIDE ME!" the two younger girls yelled, one out of fear of the punishment for not finishing her paperwork and the other out of shame for only wearing a robe. Then it was rambling and chaos.

"I can't do this!"

"What happened to the barrier," Rangiku hysterically accused.

"Sorry, I got a little distracted!" snapped Momo sarcastically, mentally slapping herself for letting someone catch her unaware twice in one day.

"Ow! Be careful Momo!"

"Watch out!"

"Don't leave, I'm dead! Who will be your best girl?" Rangiku sobbed. Momo did an abrupt 180, but not out of sympathy.

She realized she was heading towards the wrong dressing room.

"RANGIKU," boomed Toshiro nearly right outside of the door.

"You'll have to face him sometime!" Momo yelled frantically, snatching a random dress stuffed in a corner as she dove into the only dressing room that was close by. _I don't care what this thing looks like; it will be better than a robe!_

Now, Toshiro had put up with a lot that afternoon. On top of Rangiku disappearing, he had dealt with a butterfly from Senna who was blabbering about some sort of cake, no updates about Yumichika, and him above all people had managed to slip on a rare patch of ice while trying to track down his lieutenant. To find out Rangiku had been shopping for who knows what all of this time and apparently had managed to steal Momo away from her office while keeping their spiritual pressures on the down low made Toshiro boil over. Between clenched teeth he managed to choke out, "What are you doing?"

"Shopping," tried Rangiku lamely turning to run away.

Toshiro flash stepped in front of her, blocking her escape route.

Momo winced inside the changing room as she heard Toshiro begin to go on a tirade. _You would think that Rangiku would get the idea one of these times. I guess I have to go and bail her out again. _Arching an eyebrow, she held up the dress in front of her. It looked descent; how could they have missed it? Sighing, Momo untied the laces on the back of the white dress, and froze realizing the implications. Deciding to worry about that later, slowly she slid the gown over her head, the silky fabric feeling unusually cool on her skin.

Little did anyone know Renji was heading towards Toshiro, instantly worried about the rocketing spiritual pressure.

Also, no one saw Shizuka sneak into a certain captain's room or the emerald haired girl light an innocent match in the 12th.

_WOW! This is it! _Blissfully the noise of the outside world faded as Momo gazed in amazement at the mirror, this time not wanting to look away. Even though she could not reach the laces to tie the dress up right it still simply looked gorgeous. It was bunched in just the right places and hung loosely from her waist. It was a V neck with tiny spaghetti straps. She twirled around happily, sunlight bouncing off the flowers and sparkles through the bust area. A light twinkled in her eyes. She slipped through the door; Toshiro's yelling muffled all of her noise, and Momo grabbed an uchikake out of the corner that housed traditional clothing and slipped it on as she remembered the untied laces on the back.

Looking up, she was proud and a bit startled to see that Rangiku only had eyes for her. "It's perfect," the lieutenant whispered breathlessly. Momo glanced down; Rangiku was right. The uchikake was creamy white and had blue trim around the bottom; it tied in perfectly with the gown. She could have the best of both worlds.

"NO IT'S NOT. WHEN I SHOULD HAVE BEEN BOOSTING DEFENCES I WAS LOOKING FOR YOU, DO YOU UNDERSTAND?" Toshiro bellowed, truly oblivious. "I am SO- what is it Rangiku?" he continued more calmly, eyes narrowing in sudden concern for his unmoving lieutenant. Even though he had dropped the temperature in his rage, he did not really believe he had tanked it enough to freeze her solid.

Toshiro started to turn around, but Rangiku grabbed him. "Sorry kid, you can not see a bride in her dress until the wedding day."

Toshiro's mind went blank. Breathing deeply he felt the familiar spiritual pressure he blinked and managed to whisper, "Oh…I did not realize. HEY, I AM NOT A KID!"

"Relax, is it really that big of a deal?" he heard Momo question beside her. He could feel silk moving in the still air and Momo's breathing on his neck. It was sooooo tempting to look; he actually for once was glad that Rangiku had him immobilized.

"Supposedly it is!" chuckled Renji from the doorway. He gave Momo a thumbs up. "Man Toshiro, I have to say, she looks hot! Glad your temper did not freeze her solid!"

Momo laughed and fought the urge to roll her eyes. She quickly gave Toshiro's hand a quick squeeze in sympathy.

"Really," replied Toshiro curtly, finally managing to find his voice. "And when did you get here?"

"A second ago"

The girl with the green hair vanished when she heard Kurostuchi's livid scream.

Shizuka smiled at the 5th as he searched the quarters. As he checked her desk, one look at the papers scattered about showed exactly what he was looking for. He checked the stone in his pocket; it was warming up perfectly. He held his hand up to start the spell and froze.

"I wondered who was in here. I was kinda hoping it would be someone with cake," replied Senna as she dangled her feet carelessly from the window. "The captain won't like this, so I am going to have to ask you to leave and follow me."

Shizuka remained silent and finally turned around. "Not that it matters, but out of curiosity, how long have you been standing there?"

"A few minutes…my captain teaches kido well."

"I can see that." He smirked. "I am glad she lives up to her reputation; she will do the job perfectly."

Senna's eyes widened and her hand went to her hip. "She is her own master; I would not forget that if I was you. I hear someone made that mistake a long time ago."

"We will see," Shizuka laughed.

Senna yelled as she charged, drawing her sword. "Don't you touch her!" Winds and flares of light exploded.

Meanwhile, Rangiku had somehow managed to persuade Toshiro and Renji into trying on suits while Momo finished the final fitting.

Toshiro hated it. He grumbled as a pin accidently stabbed him in the wrist. While an attendant was messing with the cuffs, he could hear the girls praising the dress in the other room.

"Would you relax," sighed Renji as he looked at his black suite in the mirror. "Who would have guessed that the cool headed taicho would be the one panicking."

"I know," laughed Rangiku sneaking in on them. She tried to hide her blush as Renji's eyes widened at the teal dress she was wearing.

"I am not panicking," replied Toshiro coolly. _Since when does worrying about her fall under the category of panicking?_ He eyed his friends hard and was glad that they dropped the matter as Momo emerged out of the dressing room in her standard uniform.

"Nic…" Momo started and froze.

"Momo, what is it!" Toshiro started urgently.

She bolted forward, deciding to trust her instincts. "Something's wrong. That pressure…and I smell smoke!" She yelled as she burst out of the shop.

Toshiro's eyes widened and after quickly running to the dressing room and changing he fled after her. Considering he was faster at shunpo, Toshiro caught up with his fiancé a few hundred meters later. "Where is it coming from?"

Momo shook her head, "It is still to far away to completely figure out the location." As they rounded some trees her mouth opened, "…Or I could be wrong!"

Toshiro shook his head as they saw the Seiretei come into view, "I guess we could just follow the fire until we have a better idea." It would not be difficult; the smoke and flames rolling out of the 12th were awful. If they were not stopped, they could pass over to the 10th quickly enough. He traded glances with Momo; they sped up.

"I know this is probably not the best time," gasped Momo as they burst through the buildings. "But, Rangiku seems to honestly remember nothing about the Hell butterfly."

She heard some incoherent swearing from Toshiro under his breath. Aloud he stated, "It will have to wait." As they flew by the 5th he glanced over as Momo staggered midstep.

She looked apologetically at him and then up at a shadow moving through her quarters, "Go on. I have to check something out."

"Now?"

"It might be important!"

There was no time to argue; they split up.

-Hinakyrie

Thank you everyone for not giving up on me. And to everyone who has me on their update list, thank you for everything. I am sorry everyone this is shorter, but life has gotten crazy!

Please review and help me improve!


	5. Whirlwind of Memories

Whirlwind of Memories

Disclaimer: Sigh… once again I still love Bleach, but I still don't own it in any way, shape, or form.

Momo's feet slid quietly through her office's doorway. _There was no reason to worry Toshiro. I am a captain; so it is my sole responsibility. Focus!_ Momo said to herself calmly. She froze. She had seen someone messing around in here, and it was obvious she was not mistaken.

With a determined whisper, meanwhileToshiro went Ban Kai and soared over his division, which at the moment was safe, towards the 12th. As he rushed into the heat, Momo faded to the back of his mind as he whispered, "Let's go Hyorinmaru!"

_Fine, but I was having much more fun snoozing and watching you try on suits._

_Hyorinmaru, only you would bring that up at a time like this!_ Toshiro thought, slightly annoyed that the dragon had brought the whole subject up again, right when his mind had finally forgotten it.

…_Yeah, your point?_

_SHUT UP; we have to get this right._

_Child_, said Hyorinmaru with a sigh.

…_Yeah?_

_She will be fine! Put her to the back of your mind again._

_I know._ He thought about the mysterious dress. _It's just keeps getting harder to do that._

Cocking her head, Momo studied the figure in front of her. From the way his shoulders suddenly stiffened as she moved forward, he had just figured out she had entered the room. Draped in the shadows, his face was hidden, but as he moved farther back the stream of sunlight from the building's only window shone on an unconscious form.

It was Senna's, and she was bleeding.

Suddenly Momo's anger burned as hot as the flames tearing apart the 12th. _Is this how Toshiro felt when he found me?_ "You're going to regret that," she hissed. "I am Captain Hinamori, and you are under arrest for attacking a lieutenant."

The man did not move.

"You have nothing to say?" Momo whispered as she drew her katana.

"Actually, just the opposite" replied Shizuka to her after several more moments of silence. "I know so much about you; it's nice to be talking to you in person. I think you will work perfectly…Miss Momo."

"What….h…IT'S CAPTAIN HINAMORI TO YOU!" shouted Momo as she felt sweat begin to pool at the base of her neck. It was taking everything to not charge in fury, but cold reality had forced her to rethink that strategy over the years. "And do you really expect me to work with you?!"

The stranger turned his wrist and started drawing symbols in the air, "I never said you would work willingly."

Momo felt the protection wards surrounding her room break. Hitting the floor, she felt a flash of deadly light slid through where her neck had just been. _To Close! It is a good thing that the few people that were still around when I arrived at the division heeded my orders to stand down! _

"Giragira 31, Ranpu!" she chocked in retaliation. Purple sparkles arose from her wrist and charged at the stranger faster than the speed of light. With a quick flashstep, Momo disappeared and then reappeared in front of Senna. She bent down and covered the girl as the innocent, sparkly light violently exploded.

Meanwhile, Rangiku and Renji burst through the clearing and into the gates of Soul Society, both shocked and confused by what was going on. "Why did they leave without us?" snapped Rangiku suddenly, deciding to blame everything on other people for once.

"Well, why wouldn't they?" asked Renji, more concerned about the raging inferno in the distance. "It's in their nature. It is like you refusing to do the paperwork!"

Rangiku halfheartedly punched him in the shoulder and gasped as a loud bang came from the 5th. "What was that?"

"Let's find out!" growled Renji. _Hang on guys!_

"Sorry, but I can't let you do that." said a musical voice from the top of the building next to the soul reapers. They stopped and turned around.

"Hi, it is nice to meet you! Sorry, but I don't have time for small talk!"

"Watch out Rangiku!"

As the smoke cleared, Momo coughed, glanced around, and did not see her opponent, not that she expected to find him alive after that explosion. Sword still drawn, she sighed and bent to gently pick up her lieutenant. Then the breath was knocked out of her and she crumpled to the floor. As firm hands yanked on her hair, she stifled a cry. She found herself lost in clear gold-flecked eyes; it felt like she could not breathe. The room blurred, and she reached weakly for Senna's hand. And once again she was falling.

-

Pain.

That was all she really felt. Everything around her was dark. She was floating. It had been like this for awhile now, and for her there was no escape.

At least that is what she had been thinking.

_Child, wake up…please hurry. Everyone misses you!_ called out a soft voice from the blackness.

_Who are you?_

_The more important question is who are you? You can't seem to remember. Think Momo!_

…_Momo?_

_Yes, you are Momo Hinamori. Now do you remember?_

Silence, for who knows how long.

…_Tobiume?_

_Yes, finally! Keep thinking! Who are you…bed wetter?_

_HEY! Only…Shi…only Shiro- chan can call me that! Shiro…he grew up with me. He protected me from Ai…_Suddenly she remembered, even though she wanted to forget it had happened, wanted to deny blood flying and _his _face looking more upset than she had ever seen raced through her mind. It was too much. She tried to scream; she felt a beating rhythm speed up so much it hurt; and she tried to cry out.

Another voice broke in, and it was not Tobiume's, _Relax, I am going to help you. I understand; I can see how much you have been hurt. I am Orihime Inoue. Rest now, you need it! Relax, it's an order!_

She felt someone instantly grab her hand, his familiar spiritual pressure pumping through. It was the hand who had held her through everything. _NO! I have not given up on you, so you can not either! I am right here…Bedwetter,_ said the soft tenor voice from her childhood. Because of him she relaxed; because of him the spell was broken; because of him she finally opened her eyes.

-

And to her extreme disappointment she was not staring into the icy, cold blue ones she had grown to love. Instead her irises were locked with amber ones. She chocked back a scream, beginning to realize her captor's intentions. _My memories! _And he took advantage of her hesitation and watched with a smile as his captive's eyes rolled backwards. Two of her lower rank members burst in with a cry to defend their superiors, but they were quickly thrown aside.

-

This time when Momo blinked her heavy eyelids open, she felt the warm pressure vanish from her hand and she was staring into Toshiro's frosty, concerned eyes. _Wait, this is from years ago, after I woke up from the second coma…what is happening? _With a start Momo, finally realized she was reliving her memories and thoughts again, just as the first time they had happened. Everything felt the same. Experimentally, she tried to stick out her tongue. To her horror it remained completely in her mouth. _What kind of attack is this? Concentrate Momo, you have to go through the motions and figure out what is going on._

Meanwhile Toshiro exhaled and the tension rolled off of him in waves. "Thank goodness. You had everyone worried Bakka." He stood by her bed, and his hair looked as if he had just woken up. The half finished plate of food and the pillow in a nearby chair also supported this conclusion.

She smiled and glanced down at his hand suspiciously; it was covered in bandages and was folded in across his chest. _That's funny; I could have sworn that he was holding me a moment ago! _

Looking back up at Toshiro's face that was lean with exhaustion she croaked just like she remembered, not being able to change it, and at the same time not wanting to change it. "Shiro-chan…it really is you. Toshiro, wait a minute; you're hurt!"

"It's nothing." Toshiro said rashly. Hesitantly he went to the pitcher of water a few feet away and poured her a glass. Turning to bring it back, he sighed, "And anyway, you do not look too much better."

Momo rolled her eyes at him. Then she slowly tried to push herself up.

"Careful, you just woke up!" the captain protested in annoyance.

She failed. With a squeak her head fell back into the pillow. With a start, Momo finally noticed her hands were shaking, her breathing was shallower, and her hair was a ratted mess.

"What did I just tell you?"

"Toshiro, how long have I been out?" she asked numbly, scared of the unnatural weakness.

"…Three months," Toshiro whispered. His eyes were turned away, but Momo could tell by his clenched fists that it had been too long. "You had a couple of relapses. Thankfully, Orihime could little by little reverse the affects of the hypnosis as time passed. They still did not think that you would make it for awhile, but…" he turned and looked at her. Yep, by his attitude, she could tell that to him it had _definitely_ been too close of a shave. "I knew better."

She smiled deeply, "Thanks."

He seemed taken back, and Momo turned her head away. "I did not realize," she whispered as she stared out the window. Suddenly she snapped her head back as her confused thoughts flew together. "The division!" Suddenly her body racked with a coughing fit.

"Just take it easy! Everything is fine. Kurosaki's been running it, and shockingly there have been no casualties! Would you relax Momo…HINAMORI!" Toshiro worriedly snapped, hurrying over.

"Kurosaki?" she finally managed to stutter.

"Yeah, the orange haired, obnoxious guy who was there when…well… you know. Apparently, the captain commander thought he needed something constructive to do. If he had nothing to keep him busy when he was not training, he would be getting into fights with Renji or Kenpachi, and then we would be losing half of the city." Toshiro smirked.

"So Renji is okay everyone…well except the…opponent…made it back?"

His smirk faltered. "Everyone one you are close to made it. We only had two casulties, but many people are still recovering from their wounds. When you are a bit stronger, I will give you more details."

_In other words don't push. In all actuality, you do not really want to tell me._ Momo sighed. She was relieved that her friends were okay, but meditated sadly on the unknown fallen.

Toshiro continued more firmly, unaware of her musings, "So you had better follow the 4ths orders if you want out of here!" He narrowed his eyes threateningly.

Momo could not help but smile, _And since when has he followed the 4__th__s orders? He just tries to get out as soon as possible. Does he really expect me to? _

"Head back!"

_Apparently! _Momo obeyed instantly and tipped her head as Toshiro gently helped her take a drink. "So who is doing the paperwork? No offense to Kurosaki." She painfully thought back and continued, "I mean he has helped us and all, but he does not seem like the type of person who would do paperwork. Then again…obviously… I am not the best judge of character."

Toshiro blinked in surprise and shook his head in resignation, "That's not true, and actually you are exactly right about Kurosaki. I never thought anyone could be as bad with proper administrative procedure as Rangiku, but he has her beat. I pretty much have been covering that end."

Momo looked at him with open amazement. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it." he said waving his hand over his shoulder as he started for the doorway.

"No…Shiro-chan… I mean for everything."

He stopped and paused.

"You're welcome. Now get some sleep…Bed wetter." he said hoarsely.

"But…" Momo felt her eyelids starting to droop. Toshiro's figure was a blur.

"I mean it; your other questions can wait."

As her eyes finally closed, Momo noticed that pale lines were running up and down the room. _It's kido of some sort!_ She thought before passing out. Once again, she missed Toshiro stop in the doorway and stare at her with a rare angelic smile on his face. Like the first time, she missed the words of comfort he whispered into the air.

-

Shizuka sighed in annoyance. He was not getting the right memories, which was crucial.

The problem was that the flashbacks the captain was so fiercely guarding were pretty unique, plus their order was going in the wrong direction. They were not battle tactics or the workings of Seiretei; they were about her. Granted, anything he could use against her helped, but he was searching for that one moment in time. It was the moment when a small, innocent girl almost destroyed all of Soul Society. _The others better be having more luck than I am!_

Thankfully for Shizuka, they were.

Rangiku glanced at Renji who was crouching behind a wall a few feet beside her. Even though their situation was starting to look desperate, he gave her the thumbs up. _Typical Renji_. They had been fighting for awhile now, and their opponent was _fast_! She fought with a sword, yet she could subtly disappear into the shadows before she attacked, so she almost seemed like a kido master.

Renji rolled his eyes as the emerald haired intruder flash stepped onto the roof in front of them. "So," he grumbled. "Who exactly are you again?"

"I guess it won-"

"Hold it; you know he won't like that! And keep your spiritual down, I left my post as soon as I felt yours increase!" snapped a bulky man who suddenly appeared behind her. His purple hair was secured with a ribbon and his thin mouth was twisted in a tight frown.

"Sorry, but I'm fighting a lieutenant and a captain. I had to increase," the girl countered eagerly.

Meanwhile Renji's eyebrows disappeared into his forehead as he whispered in annoyance, "He's new!"

"You think," hissed back Rangiku sarcastically. Louder she called out, "Are you guys done talking? We have places to be."

"We can be," stated the guy calmly.

"Well then stop talking Mizuro," the girl yelled as she once again attacked. She ignored her companion's call of outrage. "Oh, by the way, I am Nenshou Yuurin."

Toshiro sighed as he looked at the wreckage around him. He only had about a quarter of the 12th division to put out, but he felt like it was too much. Something just was not right.

-

This time when Momo blinked her eyes she was looking into a brilliantly blue sky. _The lines, they are clearer! It looks a web. Maybe if I try to form my own web and use a mind release, I counter his kido!_ While her mind focused on that, her body naturally turned around as it went through the new memory. She barely had enough time to block a very large, black sword that seemed determined to hack her in two.

"Don't let your guard down Momo!" said Ichigo sternly. He did not seem to care that in only about two hours their sparing had managed to destroy several buildings. Renji was watching and lounging on the rubble that had recently been barracks. He decided to not point out the fact that with so much damage obviously the girl was not taking it easy on the carrot top.

"Sorry," grimaced Momo. _Why has he been working me so hard these past two weeks?_

"Don't ever apologize," said Renji casually from the sidelines. He saw his friend start to open her mouth. "Don't even think about it!"

Momo glared and shot back some kido at Ichigo as he tried to sneak up on her to vent up some anger at being stuck with these boys for several hours straight. She grinned as Renji raised his brow. She looked over at the thick smoke where Ichigo had been a moment ago. She grinned harder as her captain stood there chocking when the smoke cleared.

"Smooth Rookie," laughed Renji.

"Oh, shut up," sighed Ichigo in annoyance. However, he grudgingly gave his lieutenant a thumbs up and yelled at Renji. "If you find it so funny, jerk, next time _you_ can take her."

"Deal, let's switch," grinned Renji wickedly.

"Actually Renji, do you mind if I take her on this time?" said a new voice. They turned around to see Toshiro approaching them, his frown slightly more pronounced than usual.

"Sure," said Ichigo as he ruffled his hair. "But do you mind telling me exactly what you are doing here!" He shook as the temperature dropped dramatically.

"Mainly," said Toshiro coolly. "I am supposed to tell you that the soutaicho wants to see you. Since the vizards are leaving, he has agreed to the proposal."

As Momo saw Ichigo freeze, she could not decide if he was happy or upset when he glanced at her. _What is happening?_ She opened her mouth, but he shook his head in warning. She shut it; and looked at Renji, who seemed stupefied as well by the announcement, whatever it meant. She had a hunch, but she waved it aside, not really wanting it to be true.

"Renji, as I was coming here I ran into Rukia. She said something about paperwork."

Renji grinned happily.

"And Rangiku said to be ready Friday at three." continued Toshiro like nothing had happened.

Renji looked at him in blank confusion. Momo could not help it; she laughed.

"Yeah," sighed Toshiro in annoyance. "I don't know what that means either. Rangiku said you would know."

"Better go find them then," grinned Renji, still confused. "See you guys." He stopped and turned to Ichigo. Even though he was smirking, he said quite seriously, "Try to stay out of trouble for awhile. I had better not have to come save you again any time soon. Traveling back and forth too often gives Rukia and me whiplash."

Ichigo stuck out his tongue and then beamed a true smile.

As Renji left, Momo turned to Toshiro in bewilderment, "Okay, seriously, what is going on around here?"

"Renji can't decide who to date and we are having too much snow for this time of year?" tried Ichigo jokingly. Nobody laughed.

Instead, Toshiro glared daggers at him and murmured, "While you actually give her a decent explanation, I had better go survey the damage _you_ managed to cause in such a short amount of time."

As he walked away, Ichigo grimaced, "Why does he always blame me and _never_ you?"

"I…guess I am lucky," shrugged Momo, deciding to ignore the blush that was beginning to rise on her cheeks. "Quite skirting the subject and please tell me what is going on! You owe your lieutenant that much!"

"Okay." Ichigo looked at her and began slowly. "Momo, I am going back to the world of the living. Orihime and the vizards are going back. Really, I have been away from my family to long. Old Man Yama has granted the right for me to once again be a substitute shinigami. I leave in about four hours."

"Good for you," smiled Momo, hiding the sadness. As she had recovered, he had become one of her friends. He was one of the few that had known about and helped her through the tough times and panic attacks. She would miss him. She looked at the disaster area around them, at least for the most part. "I was wondering, but that is still sudden."

"Huh?"

"Well, I saw those rock tickets on your desk a couple of weeks ago. Plus you have been more edgy and bored lately, hence building damage and injuries have increased in several squads."

"That," grinned Ichigo. "Is what will make you a great captain, Taicho Hinamori."

Now it was Momo's turn to look thunderstruck. "What!"

"You heard me, so just make me proud." whispered Ichigo. "I had better go say goodbye to the other squad members. I did not exactly mean to break it to you like this, but you have come a long way. You still have to take the exam, but you can handle it. That is why I am already calling you taicho."

"So when is the exam?"

"Taicho, it will be in about six hours," responded Ichigo gently.

"That's quick, but…I understand. Arigato…Taicho take care," Momo said in the cheeriest voice she could manage, which was hard as panic began to overwhelm her. _Why does it seem like everything changes, just when everything is happy and starts to make sense?_

"Hey, perk up! Think of this as an opportunity and not the end of the world. I'll have to come and visit of course. Kon will complain too much if I don't. " laughed Ichigo. He forced his lieutenant's chin towards him. "Keep your head high Momo; you have nothing to be ashamed of!"

"Hai!"

"That's better," smirked the red head as he began to leave the arena.

"Kurosaki, wait a minute!" called out Toshiro from the rubble as he began walking back towards them.

"Yeah," he yelled over his shoulder.

"Before you leave the soutaicho wants a word with you, and _you_ can be the one to tell him about this mess."

Momo and Toshiro heard him start cursing.

"Can you also tell him that I will be there!" added Momo suddenly. She felt the boys tense. Everyone there knew exactly what she meant. After she said it, it felt like time had stopped. _This is it. There is no going back. I guess as much as I have wanted to, it does not matter. I can only learn now and move forward. _"Can you thank Orihime for me too; I owe her a lot. I would tell her in person, but I have a feeling I have some work to do!"

Ichigo unfroze, waved a final goodbye, and let out one more rare smile, "That a girl. Of course I will tell them!"

She looked at Toshiro hesitantly a few seconds later.

He gave a slight nod.

"How in soul society did I get chosen?"

He frowned. "We recommended three candidates at the last captain's meeting, and then took a vote. You won."

"Who did you push for Shiro-chan?"

He said nothing and just stared at her. She could feel his fury as he uttered the release, and it scared her. "Ban Kai!"

As Momo felt the vision begin to fade she concentrated really hard. She sighed with relief though as the net surrounding her did not change even if the setting had. Once again she was surrounded in darkness. _It is actually easier in this place. I can even feel myself moving. _She believed she had the formula for the mysterious web figured out. _The captain's test probably is next. That is not something that can be compromised. Let's see._ She focused on a particular strand, thought the words of two kido commands together and sent out the burst of energy.

Then purple, grey, and red flashed before her eyes. As the colors cleared, it felt like she was looking through a mirror, except she was younger. She blinked in confusion. Granted, her actions seemed to have skipped the captain's test, but now the time of the events had reversed and she now found herself looking into a memory of her childhood. Also, this time she was not participating, she was an innocent bystander. She watched with enjoyment a younger version of herself playing in the grass outside of the woods and looking for wildflowers. Her hair was the same black, but it lay unsecured and tangled down her back. Granted the captain had never been a large girl, but in this memory she was so small, she looked like she was only ten years old. _I must be back in Rukongai again! And that means…_ She tried to keep her heart steady. Suddenly, both Momos found themselves smiling as an annoyed voice called out from behind the next hill.

"Hinamori, where are you? Grandmother is beginning to worry!"

"Right here, Shiro-chan!" called out the younger Momo guiltily. The chestnut eyes raked the ground one more time before she started getting up.

"Don't call me that!"

Then the young girl stopped.

The older Momo frowned. _I had forgotten this memory. It is from so long…wait what is that light… Why do I recognize it? Why does_ _it seem to be calling out to me? _

Apparently it was calling out to the younger Momo as well because that is what she stopped to pick up. It was a smooth green stone that was emitting the violet glow. It was breathtaking.

The captain's eyes widened. Even though she had laid this piece of history to rest for years now and had not remembered the wildflowers, she clearly remembered what happened next.

Right on cue, Toshiro appeared on the hilltop with a frown on his face. "Hinamori…hello are you there…bedwetter…HINAMORI!" Then he saw the stone and rolled his eyes.

The older Momo could not help but laugh. _Beauty has never been one of his strong points, my captain of ice! It is nice to know deep down he is still the kid he used to be!_

"C'mon, let it go. It is not like you need a night light or anything!" He grabbed his friends arm and hauled her to her feet. When she did not react, his snowy eyebrows laced together. "Hey…snap out of it. What is wrong with you?"

"Sorry, nothing," stuttered the younger Momo as shook her head furiously, as if to rid it of any cobwebs.

Toshiro glanced at her and sighed. As they started to leave, out of nowhere a deafly yell flew through the air. Toshiro tightened his grip.

Captain Hinamori flung herself forward and tried to scream, forgetting it was a memory. She wanted to warn her former self what was coming. She could barely bear the fright in her younger eyes or the alertness in her future fiancé's stance.

She was too late. She toppled to the ground as the earth tore open to reveal a hideous creature composed of mud and green slime, about three times the size of her. No wonder the memory was beginning to feel familiar once again; it was the first hollow she had ever seen. It was terrifying, even now.

"Run!" yelled Toshiro as he pushed Momo, who was immobilized with shock, towards their house.

He was just too slow. The mud man shot forward faster than a blink of an eye and knocked the two children off of their feet. As he reached for Momo, who was dazed from the collision, Toshiro blanched and reached for the only thing around him, a whopping stick. "BACK OFF!" he yelled, and gave the creature a solid whack on the wrist. The thing snarled. "Bed wetter, GET OUT OF HERE!" he screamed as the gigantic hand swung at him and he somersaulted away from his friend, trying to draw the creature away from her.

"Watch out, Shiro-chan!" yelled the young girl as her vision cleared. He ducked just in time, and the younger Momo bit her lip. "I have to help him," she whispered. "What is that thing?"

The older Momo had not moved. Her heart was pounding; but the truth sank in, and she knew she would have to watch the events play out. "Come on, you know what to use!" she muttered to herself, knowing her words were falling on deaf ears.

The younger girl ignored her friend's warning to leave and she looked around for anything to use. There were no more sticks, she was about to just run at the creature for lack of a better plan, when the light from the stone once again caught her eye. Quickly she retrieved it from the ground, and felt the heat radiate through her petit body frame. An unfamiliar power flowed through her. She could feel herself giving off light, but she had no idea that the lavender glow was shooting hundreds of feet into the air. It gave her courage and as she saw her best friend pinned to the ground she yelled fiercely, "Hey, leave him alone!"

"Momo!" Toshiro managed to protest in wonderment. The mud man paused and glared at the girl and glanced at his captured prey. Then he changed targets and threw Toshiro into some nearby, thorny bushes.

Momo forced herself to breath normally, she aimed, and she threw through the stone. As the rock connected with the mud man, there was a solid explosion. Momo charged amid Toshiro's scream of horror, and as she felt this foreign power still running through her, she kicked and her right foot crunched into the monster's head. He fell with a groan and dissipated into a thick cloud of dust.

_Wow, I don't remember being that strong! Looking back, we are lucky nothing else came and attacked us. My aura is so high!_ Momo shivered even though it was definitely a summer day out. _That's it; I have to get out of here. I have seen enough, and so has he. _As she checked the kido around her one more time, her eyes honed onto a shadowy figuring hiding in the nearby forest. _He looks familiar._ She took a step towards him, and looked back her younger self not sure if she should leave.

She watched as the aura around her younger self began to lessen, and saw herself sink wearily to her knees.

Toshiro, who was covered in scratches and had finally untangled himself from the bushes, darted forward and sank right beside her, "Momo…you are scared of thunderstorms, but you took on that thing?"

"I guess so. I am hungry."

Her small but significant response seemed to scare the white haired child. "Well, you did great, but let's get out of here. You need some food."

"Why?"

"Bakka, number one you just said you were hungry. Number two… if you have spiritual pressure like that… you need to eat."

"Spiritual pressure, really…Shiro-chan can I keep that pretty rock?"

The young boy frowned, "That one just seems to bring trouble. I will find you another one Bed wetter; I promise." He helped the unsteady girl to her feet and slung one of her arms over her shoulder. "C'mon, I think grandmother has watermelon at the house. We need to be out of here before any shinigami start asking questions."

Momo blinked as she saw Toshiro and herself start towards home._ This is it; there is no way I can let my captor know where we lived!_ Setting her jaw in a firm line, she studied the lines of power surrounding her. She felt her spiritual pressure on the one she had already pulled and smiled. Her spell just needed one touch of tweaking. Determination from shielding a memory had brought her to this stage, so Momo figured she just needed determination to reverse the whole process. She changed to words to reverse the meaning in her indication and then she let it rip. She barely had time to see the shadowy figure run out into the clearing, furiously search the area, and let out a scream before the scene vanished.

Colors exploded around her. The captain wanted to close her eyes but could not. She felt herself flying. Images passed in front of her. It was a boy with black hair and a lined face, talking to ragged crows. Then it was the same boy cringing in a corner as an older man yelled at him. Then there was the most horrible one of all: the same boy balancing at the edge of a swift river, his face stark white as a bob of black hair floated away from him in the roaring water. Momo and the lad watched it vanish under the current, and it did not pop back up. The boy sank to his knees and burst into sobs.

Then, BANG! Momo heard a voice shrieking, and slowly realized it was hers, as her head reared back and met the rising floor. Chocking, she looked around her with relief. She was back in her office, or at least what was left of it! To her disgust, only one wall was left standing. Glancing behind her, her heart fell as she looked at the several subordinates who had rushed to her rescue. They were out cold.

"Yes, you might want to take care of them," stated her used-to-be captor.

Momo scrambled to her feet defensively and then blinked. She was glad to see that his face was slightly flushed and he was breathing hard, but she did not like the triumphant expression on his face. She scrunched her eyes, comprehension finally beginning to draw on her. "The boy in the forest, those visions at the end, they were you; weren't they? Who was that person?"

She saw his eyes cloud at the last question. "A person I lost a long time ago. Thank you for your help and congratulations on the engagement!"

"Hey, wait!" she yelled, but to no avail. She took a step towards him, and her one remaining wall broke into thousands of pieces. The man disappeared into the fading sunset. Momo sank to the ground and shielded her face with her hands, too fatigued to try to put up a kido barrier in that short time span. When the dust cleared, she put down her arms and found herself looking at the person she least expected.

Ichigo stood in front of her, his mouth dangling open. "You know Momo, when I pictured this reunion it would be something like, congratulations and all; not, are you okay, who was that guy, and what the heck happened here!"

"Well…Ichigo, that makes two of us," Momo groaned. "Here, help me up would you please."

Using his arm for support, Momo staggered up and ignored Ichigo's concerned gaze as she let go of him and headed for the squad courtyard. She could feel from their spiritual pressures that was where most of the squad was waiting. She stopped as she heard Ichigo's sharp intake of breath behind her. "What is it?"

"Senna…how is she here?" His face was even paler than the face Momo had just seen by the riverbank.

"You know her?"

He rubbed his head, "Yeah…you could say so."

Momo looked at her former taicho's distressed face. Obviously there was more to this story then what he was letting on. "Well, this makes things simpler. You can be the one to escort her, my lieutenant, to the 4th. Will you please make sure that everyone else is settled there as well?"

Ichigo's eyes narrowed tremendously. "Wait, are you trying to say that you are not going in to get checked out. If I let you do that, Toshiro will have a fit. I mean, right now you look you are about to keel over."

"Look around you, there are other devoted people who need taking care of. I have to go set patrols, and then I have to go talk to the soutaicho. It is an emergency. No buts Ichigo; I am captain remember. After I am done, I will go to the 4th for treatment and check on my other squad members, so don't worry."

"Okay, but don't expect me to be happy about it."

"Deal." Momo paused. "I know you can't sit still long, so if you want to go check in with Rukia or Renji after Senna is settled you can. Just make sure someone else goes with you."

She vanished before he could say anything else.

"I taught her too well," he complained as he sent out a butterfly to ask the 4th for some stretchers. "What is she so worried about anyway?"

Several minutes later Momo sighed as she looked out to the sea of her squad members and companions. It was one thing to act with authority while talking to one person, but talking to a large crowd had never come easy for her. "Okay, first of all, is everyone okay?" She relaxed at the nods around her. "Thank goodness! Now, soon we will have to talk about following a taicho's orders, but that can wait. I am honored that you feel so protective of me, and there are more pressing matters to attend to. The ten people here in the front row need to help Ichigo and make sure that all the injured are moved safely to the 4th. Everyone else split in to groups of three, no more and no less, and patrol the area. I want word directly, not by butterfly, when the area is all clear," she said looking mainly at her 5th ranking officer. Her 2nd, 3rd, and 4th were lying on her office floor. She could see the worry in her subordinates' eyes, and she forced a smile. "Just be careful and remember your training; try not to engage the enemy until we know more. His power is unusual, and I just want a traceable position. I don't want anyone to worry about me; I am fine. I am going to be talking to the soutaicho. So be careful and move out!"

There was no way Momo was going to tell the soutaicho what had happened except in person; the butterflys were really beginning to seem unreliable.

Toshiro was beginning to feel the same way. He had sent one of the creatures to Momo a little bit ago and had not heard anything back.

"Captain, no word from Rangiku and we need your signature on the reports. Plus, they want you on the south side. There is one more furnace that might explode." said a random squad member to him.

"Thank you. I will head that way," stated Toshiro neutrally as he signed the papers. He really hated being a captain sometimes, especially a captain with an upcoming wedding. Maybe he should suggest eloping to Momo, if he got to see her anytime soon.

-

Hinakyrie

All right, I have no excuse but I hope the length makes up for it. Please review and keep me writing! Thank you for the support!


	6. A Relay of Communications, Sort Of

A Relay of Communications, Sort Of

Disclaimer: Breaking news! Not really, I lied. I still don't own Bleach. Sigh

Rangiku glanced over her shoulder, "Hate to bring this up now, but you do know you have to plan the bachelor party, right!"

"WHAT… YOU'RE KIDDING RIGHT? I DID NOT SIGN UP FOR THAT! AND ANYWAY, CAN'T THAT DISCUSSION WAIT FOR ANOTHER TIME, RANGIKU!" snapped Renji as he glared at the green haired spaz in front of him. The cat and mouse tricks were really beginning to get on his last nerve. _How long can we keep at this? What was her name again? Oh yeah…it's Nenshou; what kind of a name is that?_ He blinked as the girl vanished once again, block. _Guess I am going to have to step it up._

"Howl, Zabimaru!" He slashed and his pressure catapulted.

At the same time, Momo winced as she toppled to the ground. _Who is that? Someone increased their reitsu, but it seems far away. So why exactly is it making such an impact here?_ She looked at her scratched hands and tattered sleeves. _Oh yeah, that's because I look and feel like a corpse._ Using a wall for support, the captain painstakingly forced herself once more into an upright position. The more the time lapsed around her as she journeyed on; the worse she got, which made sense to her because the adrenaline from the encounter had begun wearing off. Heart sinking, Momo finally admitted to herself that there was no way her aching body could make it to the first. Right now she was only at the 2nd squad and, at the rate she was going, it would be another week before she arrived to talk to the head captain. It was already dark and the night air was cold. Just for a minute, she regretted sending Ichigo away, but Momo shook it off. Then she took another step and once again fell gracefully flat on her face. She felt herself, against all her protests, beginning to doze off.

"CAPTAIN HINAMORI! WAIT I SEE HER; MOMO!" called out a couple of voices that snapped Momo out of her dreaming state. She looked up, and somehow found the energy to beam at the arrivals as they appeared out of the inky blackness. _That makes sense. If Ichigo was here, of course she would be here. And why did I not think of him at the 3__rd__?_

"Thank you for coming Orihime! Sorry, we expected this place to be more peaceful when everyone arrived. Hi Izuru! Is your squad okay?" Momo stuttered. He gave a nervous nod, and Momo remembered to breathe again.

"Thank goodness! And don't worry about me; I just feel honored to be a bridesmaid!" exclaimed Orihime cheerfully after watching the exchange as she shrugged off Momo's apology and bent down to start a healing kido. Watching her, Momo was proud to see that her friend had a much better color and her eyes were much livelier than the last time she had seen her. However, the black-haired captain gently grabbed Orihime's hand. "Arigato, but that has to wait. I have to report to the soutaicho immediately. It's important!"

"Couldn't you just send a hell butterfly?" asked Izuru curiously.

"NO!" Izuru blinked at his friend's harshness.

"Sorry…no, but right now I can't remember why," finished Momo quietly.

Izuru pursed his lips together. "Do not worry about it…Toshiro?"

"He needs to be here to hear this when he gets a chance," sighed Momo, remembering the daunting size of the fire he was probably fighting, as Orihime, though not excited about leaving the girl's injuries unattended, helped the captain to her feet.

"I'll go get him." said Izuru matter of factly.

Momo blinked. "Bu-"

"It is not a problem. But, just promise me you will get let Orihime heal you while you talk to Captain Yamamoto." He saw her start to open her mouth. "Let me rephrase that; it's an order."

As Izuru flash stepped away, he could feel Momo's stubborn gaze drilling into him and sighed in defeat. Deep down he knew he had wasted his breath; Momo was known for breaking the rules.

Most people blamed it on temporarily having Ichigo for a captain, but Izuru knew her better.

He wasn't the only one. Hitsugaya sighed as he flash stepped towards the 1st quickly, not that he was paying that much attention. He was just hoping he could drop off the reports with the head-captain and then hurry away to find Rangiku and his fiancé. It had been several hours since he had heard from either of them. _Maybe it was a mistake to leave them this afternoon after all._

Rangiku sneezed. _Guess someone is thinking about me._ Then she smiled. Haneiko melted behind Mizuro and eagerly attacked. Granted the blow struck him, but it did not cause as much damage as Rangiku really wanted.

"MOVE!"

Rangiku did just as Zabimaru burst over her head. She saw Mizuro's surprise and the opening it left for her. She flew in. Renji did too, since Nenshou came to Mizuro's aid. "Surrender or it's over!"

Suddenly a figure in black popped in front of the coming shinigami. He cocked his head and struck out an arm. Renji tried to shout for Rangiku to pull back, but his warning was lost to the winds as he felt himself ram into an invisible wall and fly backwards. He could vaguely tell, from Rangiku's sudden scream, that the same thing had happened to her.

Meanwhile, the lieutenant's taicho rounded the 6th division. Frowning, Toshiro slowed down as he felt familiar approaching spiritual pressure. _Izuru, but what's his hurry? Wait, why is he all the why over here in the 1__st__ place?_ Luckily, the child prodigy had sensed the other captain when he did. As Izuru came sprinting around the next corner, Toshiro barely had time to step aside and grab Izuru's shoulder to avoid being trampled. "It's me!"

"Wow, I thought it would take me longer to find you. What about the fire?"

Toshiro knitted his eyebrows together. "It's under control. Nemu Fukutaicho is watching over Kurotsuchi and helping him investigate; he keeps alternating between sobbing fits and fits of throwing whatever is in front of him against the ground. Practically everyone is afraid to get near him. The 6th squad is handling putting out the rest of the little fires in the area. More importantly, why are you trying to find me?"

Izuru pushed his shoulders and they started running towards the 1st. "It's Momo. Someone attacked her and Senna in the 5th squad office." He heard Toshiro let out a slight curse under his breath as they sped up. "She would have sent the info to you by butterfly, but something deep down was telling her to not to."

Meanwhile, Renji blinked at the newcomer in front of him. "Look," he began through clenched teeth. "Is anyone else going to appear that I should be aware of? It would be nice to know."

The stranger stated cheerfully. "Do not worry. I am it. I would like to leave without harming you, but you know too much."

"Good luck with that. I thought I would come and join the party!" called a new voice from a nearby rooftop. Moonlight from the crescent moon bathed Rukia in light as she said her release, "Sode no Shirayuki." Ice rose around the lieutenant, making her an impressive and intimidating figure. She almost laughed as Renji's mouth fell open.

"Change of plans, we're leaving," whispered the robed enemy in front of her.

"Wait!" called Rangiku in annoyance, not understanding the reason for the sudden retreat, not that any of them really did.

Renji recovered his wits, growled and rushed forward. But the man and his companions nodded, made a square in the air with their hands, and in a puff of purple smoke vanished. "That's not good."

"Sorry, I am late. I had to sneak out while Ni-sama was yelling about Rangiku's untraditional form of announcing weddings," sighed the raven-haired girl as she approached her friends.

Rangiku stuck her hand up in the air triumphantly, "I knew I shouted the news for a reason. Now, Taicho can't be mad anymore!"

"Don't worry about it Rukia. Actually, your timing was perfect," smirked Renji warmly.

She glanced at Rangiku, and with a smile they struck Renji on the back of the head.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"Figure it out. Now come on. We need to tell the soutaicho about this and then you two need cleaned up a little." grimaced Rukia.

A few seconds later, "You do realize Rangiku that if _I_ have to plan the bachelor party, then _you _have to plan the bachelorette party."

Rangiku cackled so evilly that she could give the Witch of the West a run for her money, "Oh, don't worry. I am well aware."

Rukia looked at Renji and mouthed a silent plea for help. He winked at her and mouthed, "Don't worry; I'll sneak you out near the end and then we can call it even."

"Thank you." Rukia whispered truthfully.

"Baka; there's nothing to thank me for," stated Renji as he smiled at her.

Rangiku, who was now leading the pack, grinned. She might be playing matchmaker again pretty soon. She randomly thought of Hisagi; _maybe I can find a match for myself this time._

"So Ichigo sent you Orihime?" verified Momo as they entered the 1st division. _Figures he would pull something like that!_

"Yeah, we were worried. I ran into Captain Kira on the way."

"What did I do to deserve such great friends?"

Orihime blinked and slipped a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Don't be silly Momo. Everyone deserves friends."

Momo lowered his eyes, "Well, you're right, but still, thank you. I never got the chance to say that to you."

"You're welcome. Ichigo told me; and for future reference, I am glad you went forward. I am proud of you; we all are."

The guards watching over the soutaicho's quarters took one look at the half-dead captain and stood back.

As they moved away, Momo groaned. "I must look horrible if they let us through like that."

"Um….what do you mean…you look dazzling!"

"Nice try, you are just saying that to be nice." They approached the double doors that separated them from the head captain a bit nervously. As her sweat rolled down to the cuts and burns on her arms, Momo winced at the sudden pain.

"Well, here it goes." But as Orihime reached to open the doors, someone opened them from the other side.

"Out of my way!" yelled Renji as they approached the guards. Just as they had done several moments before with the 5th squad captain; the men glanced at the trio and in silent agreement stepped aside.

Rangiku tightened the temporary bandage wrapped around her arm as they flew through the hallways.

"You know," said Renji randomly. "No wonder people try to take over this place so much. The security sucks. I mean; they did not even question us out there."

The girls smacked him again. Harder. "AND WE ARE COMPLAINING WHY?"

At the same time, more people were sprinting for the same location. "WHY ISN'T SHE AT THE 4TH?" yelled Hitsugaya as Izuru and him passed through the doorway. The icy captain was so preoccupied that he was not even aware that his angry rietsu had knocked the guards unconscious.

About twenty feet behind them charged an excited Kenpachi and Yachiru. The captain threw the already unconscious men another ten yards and destroyed the doorway in his eagerness to enter the building. When the poor guards woke up the next day, they signed up for early retirement and/or disability. Then they decided to skip retirement and/or disability altogether. One deserted and moved to Siberia and the other went to a bar, in the world of the living, in Australia.

But anyway, Captain Yamamoto had meanwhile gotten Captain Hinamori to sit in a chair; after all, he was not _completely_ heartless. As she opened her mouth to start; however, he raised a hand for silence. "If you only want to say your story once, you might want to hold on a minute." Momo blinked in confusion, but understanding came upon her as she heard feet and shouting in the hallway.

Suddenly, the doors banged open for Renji's, Rangiku's, and Rukia's entrances. They paused gaping at the girls as they gaped in return. Then the amount of noise hit the roof as everyone started shouting questions and greetings to each other. Momo could not even hear herself think, let alone speak.

Except when everyone saw the hot air leaving their mouth turn to ice, their words stuttered and died on their lips. Momo's heart sped up, knowing exactly who was coming. The room dropped another thirty degrees the minute the 10th and 3rd squad captains flash stepped into the room, Toshiro in the lead. Stopping to gather his breath, he looked around the crowded room in confusion, and his eyes landed on the beat up Momo. "What happened?" She looked beyond exhausted, and Toshiro wanted to do nothing more than wrap his arms around her.

"Apparently, hers alone is a long story, so everyone might as well get comfortable," stated Captain Yamamoto as he watched Captain Hitsugaya flash step to the young captain. The two sweethearts only had eyes for each other. "Ummm…Captain Hitsugaya, would you please turn it down before we loose Miss Inoue."

Toshiro broke eye contact with Momo to look up at Orihime who was swaying on the spot from his high rietsu. "I am sorry," he said forcing himself and his spiritual pressure to relax, "I am glad you could make it."

"I would not miss it for the world!" exclaimed Orihime with thumbs up as she thankfully discovered she could breathe again.

"And why do you still look so sick Captain Hinamori?" snapped Izuru. _Momo is getting paler by the minute._

"I can't risk healing," said Momo simply. "It was a different attack, and none of us know how Orihime's time reversal will handle it."

Toshiro, siding with Kira, opened his mouth to argue, but as the wave of Kenpachi's rietsu entered the room, the 10th squad captain threw up a kido barrier for the girls instead. _Good idea,_ he thought as he gritted his teeth. Kenpachi was glowing furiously, and even Renji seemed a bit overwhelmed. Toshiro looked at Rangiku with worry, but even though she looked tired, she seemed okay.

"Hey, WHAT'S THE IDEA!" yelled Renji in outrage.

"I felt a fight going on, so I am in!" exclaimed Kenpachi with excitement. The fact that no one had a sword drawn for battle had not yet occurred to him.

"Captain, I think you are a little late," said Toshiro coolly, teeth clenched.

Kenpachi glanced around, and finally figuring out the situation, sighed in disappointment. "See Yachiru, I tried to tell you we were going the wrong way."

"No we weren't Kenny; they just didn't wait for us. That was rude guys!" countered Yachiru perkily.

Everyone looked at each other in shock. She thought _they_ were being rude?

"Well, did you see the green-haired lady again?" asked Yachiru innocently.

This got everyone's attention. "Yeah, we fought her." said Rangiku. "If you tell me where you have seen her before Yachiru, I will give you a cookie."

"That's easy. I saw her sneaking into the building where Whitey keeps his division's hell butterflies. I want chocolate chip."

Toshiro shook his heading absorbing the new information. He froze. "Look, with all do respect Yachiru, my name is CAPTAIN HISTUGAYA!"

"Well, I'm bored. Let's go find Ichigo, Yachiru. I heard he's back, and it could be fun." yawned Kenpachi, deciding to ignore Toshiro's outburst.

As he left, Captain Yamamoto called out to him, "Don't forget regular Captain's Meeting tomorrow!" Kenpachi waved in acknowledgement over his shoulder.

"Wonder if he will remember?" wondered Captain Yamamoto absently to his remaining visitors. He looked apologetically at Momo. "Sorry for the delay Captain Hinamori, but you can begin your report now."

She took a deep breath and began, "Well…"

One and a half grueling hours later, everyone present had told their stories to the soutaicho and was disbanding. Renji had already begun taking Rangiku for a quick checkup so they could return to their divisions, after Toshiro ordered Rangiku to get a solid 5 hours of rest before she tried to work on anything. Izuru had left to check up on the patrols for the divisions that had officers in the hospital. That left the others to stroll at a much slower place.

Toshiro had one arm over his shoulder to support Momo, and he could not help but look at her every 5 seconds. There was so much he wanted to ask her, but he was not sure if she had the strength to answer. He could tell the meeting had practically drained her of any of the energy she had left.

Rukia seemed to understand; plus, she had the best place to lodge visitors at the moment. Hands on her hips she turned and winked at Orihime. "It has been a few months since I have gotten to see you. Would you like to spend the night at my place to catch up?"

"That would be fun!" squealed her friend. She looked guiltily at Momo, "But I should be staying at your place he-"

"Don't worry. I insist. You have had a rough 1st day anyway; go have some fun." insisted Momo.

"Fine, but then you have to at least let me clean up the cuts. Since I am healer, watching you all this time has been hard enough on me. I promise I will just stick to the arms, and I can at least take some of the pain away," said Orihime. By the tone of her voice, everyone present there would be no debating the matter.

In submission, Momo placed a hand on Toshiro's shoulder to stop him and gently placed herself on the ground. With a nod she rolled up her sleeves and ignored her fiancé's intake of outrage. Her arms were scratched and burned from the explosions and kido. Two distant blue and red handprints were lying where her captor had clenched her forearms. Toshiro knelt down, and arms shaking, held Momo's head in his lap. Softly Orihime said her release and began to heal.

Rukia looked on impressed; Orihime's control had definitely improved. To keep Momo, and Toshiro for that matter, occupied Rukia started talking. "So Rangiku said you have picked out the dresses and suits?"

"Yeah, all the girls get teal dresses."

"Yours?"

"It's perfect."

"Hey, you are doing great, so stay with me. Who is all in the wedding?"

"My bridesmaids are Rangiku, you, Orihime, and Senna. Yachiru is the flowergirl. Ikkau and Yumichikia, I am sure he will be awake by then, offered to make sure she got down the aisle. Captain Unohana is giving me away."

Seeing her eyelids flutter, Toshiro kept urging her on. "And the men?" For his purposes, he ignored the fact she had already started mentioning some guys.

"You of course, Renji, Izuru, Ichigo, and Hanatero are part of the wedding party. Captain Yamamoto is completing the union. The ushers are the squad 6 captain and vice-captain." Toshiro nodded. They had not really discussed it yet, but the choices were perfect. _She really has put some serious thought into all of this._ His heart fluttered. _How long has she secretly been planning this?_

"See, I am done," whispered Orihime just a couple of seconds later, a little bit tired from the amount of concentration it had taken to keep to her word. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

Momo checked her arms, they were clear of any marks, and they were blissfully numb. She nodded her thanks.

"Rest up Momo! Hey, Orhime, I bet I can beat you back to the mansion." called out Rukia as she vanished, wanting to speed up the process.

"Wait up Rukia!" yelled Orihime. Breaking her kido, she stood up, bowed, and raced after the lieutenant.

"They are something else," laughed Momo affectionately as she eased herself to her feet. Even though her arms felt better, her head was fuzzy and pounding. She tried to hold back a yawn, but it snuck out anyway.

Toshiro roughly grabbed her hand to help support her. "You are too!" he grumbled. Startling them both, he swept her off her feet, bridal style.

"Toshiro!"

He smirked at her. "What? Who's going to see us out here, Bedwetter?" He started flash stepping towards the 4th, trying not to jostle Momo but trying to move quickly, as she nestled closer to him.

"I love you," she whispered suddenly.

The moon showed bright. "I know."

-Hinakyrie

Thank you everyone! Please review to make me better. Don't worry; I have some fun ideas for the next chapter!


	7. Avoiding the Storm

Avoiding the Storm

Disclaimer: Alright everyone, nothing is new. I wish I owned bleach, but I do not. Here we go!

"Hold on Momo, we are almost there," encouraged Toshiro harshly, afraid that he was losing her. As her unnaturally dim irises threatened to close again, Toshiro hugged her tighter, allowing her to steal some of his reaitsu. "I mean it," he growled softly.

Captain Unohana rubbed her eyes, and held back a sigh. It had a long day, and night for that matter. The sky seemed to agree with her. Fog was beginning to cover up the stars, which meant that it would probably start storming in a couple of hours. She really was hoping her expected patient would arrive before then. She was getting worried.

Quickly pushing herself out of her desk, the quiet captain forced herself to walk out and check on her visitors. Near the end of her round, she noticed Hanaterou sneaking out of the room that was housing Yumichika.

"No change, not that we really expected any yet." he whispered to her, wringing his hands, as she strode purposely over.

As he began to walk away dejectedly, she put a hand on her subordinate's arm. "You are doing everything you can. No one ever said healing was easy. How about you go and see Senna? Ichigo has been talking to her for hours now. It's your turn."

Hanaterou truly brightened up. "Okay, thank you Captain." Everyone knew that he had become close friends, maybe even more, with the young lieutenant. He had been the first one to see her when Ichigo had brought her in that night.

As he hurried away, Captain Unohana smiled at his enthusiasm and continued her paces. She paused once more when she saw another familiar figure leaning casually against the wall in the hallway. "I am sorry Ikkau; still no change. I really meant it earlier when I said you could sit down and make yourself comfort-" She paused and whipped around, the rest of the comment dying on her lips. Throwing an apology over her shoulder, the usually reserved squad 4 captain sprinted outside. Even through the dense mist, she could see the spiky, white hair she had been waiting anxiously for approaching her from a couple hundred meters away. She flash stepped to meet them. _Thank goodness!_

"Please, can you help Captain?" gasped the owner of the snowy hair to the medic who now stood right in front of him. Toshiro was too tired and desperate to act surprised at seeing Captain Unohana appear practically out of thin air. Sadly enough, he was getting used to it by now.

"Of course, right this way. I know you have to be worn out, but please hurry!" urged Captain Unohana. She almost offered to take Captain Hinamori herself, but the girl looked so comfortable, yet fragile, in Toshiro's arms that the healer did not bother.

"Shiro-chan," Momo groggily blinked her eyes, "Captain Unohana, is that you?"

"Yes, how are you feeling?"

"Tired, cold, and I have a major migraine… like I have been training with the 11th for a week straight." Momo whispered.

_And how would you know exactly what training with the 11__th__ felt like?_ wondered Toshiro bitterly as they plowed through the hospital doors. _You have better not have used them to help achieve Ban kai when I was on a scouting mission._

With quick strides Captain Unohana led the two to a side room. "Please Hitsugaya Taicho, could you give us a couple of minutes alone? There are a couple of things I want to check out. Renji gave me the overview, so it should not take too long. I know Ikkau is out there if you wanted a word with him."

"Of course, and thank you," agreed Toshiro as he gently sat Momo on the bed, kissed her forehead, and left the ward.

It did not take him long to find Ikkau. Interested about Captain Unohana's unexpected exit and the ice captain's arrival, the 11th squad member was waiting expectantly at the end of the hallway. "What's all the action about?"

"Momo"

"Is she beat up too bad?" asked Ikkau, deep down worried about the spunky girl. She had been through a lot, and he liked her.

"Yes…and no." Toshiro sighed, raking a hand through his hair, finally allowing his frustration to leak out. "I don't know."

Ikkau had known Toshiro long enough to know that he was upset and trying to hide it, not that he was doing a very good job. Ikkau sighed. Momo had secretly trained with him and some other squad members when going for Ban Kai. He knew from experience that she was tougher than most people, even Toshiro, believed. "Just be there for her like you always have been." he grumbled. "And try to get to the bottom of this already, will you! You are supposedly the smart one and all, Child prodigy."

Toshiro relaxed a little and rolled his eyes at the nickname. "Sometimes, I don't believe that. How is Yumichika?" After all, in the world of the living, he was Captain Hitsugaya's subordinate. And Toshiro always felt better when he had the two squad 11 members guarding his back; they had become friends.

"Still not up and about, he is stable; but that is all they know." Toshiro could easily hear the anger in Ikkau's voice.

"Momo has snapped out of this a couple of times, so he will too," Toshiro frowned.

"That is what they keep telling me. They say with his strength, it should only be about 4 or 5 more days before he wakes up," Ikkau sighed. "I mean; he hates reading, so why was he there in the 1st place?"

Suddenly, Toshiro's brilliant mind began turning frantically. Ikkau had seen that look before, and it usually followed with something proactive. "So what are you thinking?" he questioned curiously.

"You said you found Yumichika in the library, right Ikkau?"

"Yeah…and your point is?"

"Where"

"I don't remember exactly. But if I retraced my steps, I could show you the spot. Why are you interested? The stealth force saw no evidence to track the attacker."

"Yeah, but they did not check to see what book the attacker was going to check out before he was interrupted, did they?"

Ikkau smirked. "I see what you are saying. How about investigating that tomorrow morning, since it is about midnight right now, or maybe even later today?"

"Part of me wants to go now, but you're right. Everyone needs some sleep 1st." Ikkau knew the only reason the workaholic was agreeing to his terms was because of his concern over Momo. It went without saying.

"Sorry to interrupt Captain Hitsugaya, but you can come back now," stated Captain Unohana, as she once again silently appeared beside him.

Ikkau jumped at her sudden arrival, but Captain Hitsugaya just nodded and began to follow the lady anxiously.

However, he paused for a second and turned to Ikkau. "When I said everyone, I also meant _you_."

Ikkau fidgeted uncomfortably as he watched the 2 captains vanish from his sight. "Hai, Captain Hitsugaya; I'll behave for just this once. You better too."

"So close; I was so close," Shizuka muttered under his breath, safely hiding outside of the Seiretei. He had a cold cloth pressed against his aching forehead. Nenshou and Mizuro were out getting food, so he was by himself, which he was thankful for. They were like family to him, but he needed some time alone to think through his thoughts. He had seen so much through the girl, but not exactly what he needed. Shizuka hated to admit it, but he had underestimated her. "I guess I will just have to use what I have to my advantage. We are going to have to take some drastic measures soon." He thought of the male who had occupied every single one of the Captain's obtained memories; he might be the key to everything. He winced and held the cloth tighter as the image of the frightening river ran unbidden through his head. With a sigh, Shizuka pulled out a black stone that looked very similar to the blue one Momo had found in the grass. _Why did you have to reveal that one to me, stone? I don't know who that person in the river is, but I know I loved him/her. I can feel the sadness as they are swept away forever, but it so hard to not know who I am saying goodbye to! How far back does this memory go?_

Meanwhile Captain Unohana was telling her diagnosis to Toshiro and Momo. "For tonight, well this morning technically, I will keep it simple; but I will probably have you come back a couple of times over the next few days. Plus, because of the situation you will be in contact with Orihime as well. From the kido incantations and the time your body was locked in one position, you can expect to be physically sore. From my quick inspection, thankfully, I did not see any sprains or broken bones. More pressing is the intense mind concentration you have put in since this afternoon. People have been tampering with your memories, and in turn you fought back valiantly. The best remedy for that is some peaceful sleep where you are comfortable. That is why I am allowing you to return to your quarters at the 5th. Over the next few days, the stress will probably cause a fever. As long as it stays under 105 degrees, you are fine. If it is higher than that or lasts more than 5 days, have someone send for the 4th immediately. Here, take these knockout pills. They will give you a few hours of sleep with no dreams. Overall you are pretty lucky; we could have easily lost you today with that attack."

_Don't remind me! _thought Toshiro to himself.

"Now, are there any questions?"

It was a lot, but Toshiro had paid very close attention. He glanced at Momo, but at the moment it looked as if most of it had gone in one ear and out the other. He shook his head no and gingerly helped her get off of the bed. "Let's get you home."

Momo beamed at him. "Of course Shiro-chan, but 1st I have to check on my subordinates."

Toshiro's mouth opened up about 5 feet. "You're kidding right? Look, I know you are worried and want them to know that you care. However, I think they would understand. Plus, forgive me, but your appearance right now would just scare them." cried Toshiro in exasperation. He could tell from Unohana's abrupt actions that Momo needed sleep. Now.

But he saw purple fire flicker in the depths of her eyes and knew that she was not taking no for an answer. As if to prove her point, Momo let go of him, clenched her jaw, and walked foreword. Then her fiancé winced as she ran graciously into the doorframe. "Fine," Toshiro groaned, rushing towards her. "But I get to lead."

Actually… it was Captain Unohana who led because Toshiro was not sure where the 5th squad members were being bunked. Then she told them goodbye and told them to make it fast. As annoyed as Toshiro was by the quick detour, he could not help but smile as every single person in the room rushed up to check on Momo when she entered. It was nice to know that her squad was concerned about her and treated her with such respect. One man even came up and told her that the 5th was all clear. When she asked why he had waited there to report, he had answered with, "I knew this was exactly where I would be able to find you." After that sweet exchange, there was one other person Momo demanded to visit.

Two doors down, Ichigo was sitting in a chair and staring at the ceiling. Who would have guessed that out of all the places to encounter Senna it would be here. And to think that Momo, the candidate he had recommended as his replacement, would pick her as the 5th squad lieutenant was crazy. Until Senna had laid eyes on him, apparently she had not remembered any of her past before she was found wandering around Soul Society by Momo. Furthermore, no one on the mission, like Toshiro or Renji, had recognized her either. Between Ichigo and Senna, they figured that because Ichigo had been the one she had been in the presence of before passing on, he was the sole one to remember Senna for who she really was. Before Hanaterou had entered, they had both caught up and decided to leave what had happened between them because there was no use causing trouble again. The way Hanaterou was looking at her though, Ichigo could see him getting told the whole story in the near future.

However, the two people now entering the room, one in particular, knocked him harshly back into the present. Ichigo scrambled out of his chair, throwing it against the wall, "MOMO!" She looked awful, much worse then before. Her face was ashen white, and the long-lost bags were reappearing under her eyes. With one glance, Ichigo knew that if Toshiro had not been supporting Momo, she would be on the ground right now.

Not that Toshiro was supportive enough to protect her from a worried Senna, who happened to be high on painkillers at the moment. He saw her coming, but the captain did not react fast enough. "TAICHO! I was so worried!" cried the young girl, flinging herself on top of her superior. Momo felt all three of them sink to the ground; Toshiro's steady arm making sure her head did not hit the floor.

"SENNA, LET HER BREATH!" cried Ichigo and Hanaterou, urgently helping Toshiro regain his footing.

_Oh, wonderful. Out of all her choices, Momo managed to find a lieutenant similar to Rangiku!_ thought Toshiro sarcastically. You have to forgive his negativity; this day had not made his top 10 list by any means, well, except for having Captain Yamamoto give Momo and him his blessings. That was amazing; words can not give it justice.

"Well, it is nice to see you up already. It is sickening really," chocked Momo, giving Senna a quick hug. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just got a conk to the head and a slight gash on my arm. I feel great." buzzed Senna, giving Hanaterou a puppy dog pout.

He tried to look stern. It didn't work so well. "Sorry, but you still have to stay overnight."

She turned to try her puppy dog pout on Momo, "Nope." said her superior firmly. Then Momo turned towards Ichigo, who at the moment looked like he wanted to commit murder, "Would you relax? Obviously, Toshiro has not killed you yet, so I am fine."

Ichigo glared at her, muscles tight. "Then prove it. You have said hi to us, and now I am more worried than I was before, so thank you so much. Now listen to Toshiro, go home, and get some sleep."

"Bu-"

"No buts Momo, he is right. You will be able to talk to them all week," said Toshiro, deciding finally enough was enough.

Momo felt herself stifle a yawn and peered up into Toshiro's typical arched eyebrows, 'what did I tell you expression'. "Okay…thank you for taking care of my people and sending Orihime, Ichigo. She is a lifesaver."

"They are my people too, Bakka, so don't mention it!" sighed Ichigo. "And anyway, Orihime was making everyone dizzy from her endless pacing. She really wanted to go! Now get out of here before I get really mad." He reached for his sword and winked at Toshiro. For once, he received a wink in return.

"LET'S HURRY! HE WILL MURDER US ALL!" Toshiro yelled dramatically, pulling Momo out of the room. Then he once more swept her into his arms, and they flew out into the darkness. Momo just tried not to laugh at their not so subtle attempt to make her leave. That not working, she tucked her head tight against Toshiro's chest so he could not see or hear her quick bout of cackling.

Back at the 4th Ichigo did not care if anyone saw him laughing. He was on the floor.

"What is it, Senna?" asked Hanaterou suddenly, ignoring Ichigo, as he noticed Senna stare in intense concentration at the place where Momo had been seconds before.

"She has the same nose and the same determination in her eyes as the guy who attacked me!" she whispered biting her lip.

Ichigo stopped laughing.

Hinakyrie

Whooo, that was intense. I hope everyone like it; it was a crucial chapter. Turns out I can't spell. I have been spelling reaitsu wrong for the whole story. I think everyone knew what I meant, but sorry anyway. Thank you for the new review, please send me more!


	8. Trapped Minds Trapped Hearts

Trapped Minds, Trapped Hearts

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this or I would be getting paid.

It was about 1 in the morning.

_She looks like an angel,_ thought Toshiro as he flash stepped up to Momo's living quarters. He was very happy that after leaving the 4th, Momo had quickly succumbed to so much needed sleep. As he walked into her bedroom, Toshiro let out a yawn of his own. _She isn't the only one who needs some shut eye_, he thought. The day's events were finally catching up with him. But being Toshiro, he ignored it. Moonlight filtered happily through the open doorway and the window as he carried Momo over to her futon. Her head dug into the pillow as the change of position caused her to begin to stir. "Hold on, I am going to get you something to help with the pill," whispered Toshiro.

A couple of minutes later he returned with a glass of water for her. Granted, having water to down the pills was not required. But it was a much more pleasant option than saying the kido release and ramming a capsule down Momo's throat.

"Momo," he said gently shaking her shoulders. She just groaned and curled up in a ball.

He rolled his eyes. "You are leaving me no choice, you know." When that did not affect her, Toshiro frowned and poked her in the side. "Get up, just for a minute, love."

"What is it Shiro? I am trying to sleep," Momo protested weakly, finally opening her eyes.

"I know. Head back, then you can sleep for as long as you want." he stated firmly, but not harshly. Supporting her back, he handed her the glass and watched in satisfaction as the she swallowed the medication.

As she laid back down, Momo smiled. She could not help but remember the other time he had seemed so concerned and had given her a drink. His face grew shadowed, which made Momo frown because she hated that, and she wondered if he was reminiscing as well. As he turned around to set the glass behind him, Momo's heart fluttered irrationally, and she grabbed the sleeve of her fiancé's uniform. He blinked in confusion at her. "DON'T LEAVE…please Toshiro, at least not for awhile."

"Don't worry; I'm not going anywhere. You are everything to me Momo," soothed Toshiro, his voice raw with long suppressed emotion. He thought of the memories Momo had told at the debriefing. While everyone else had just been told the people involved, the kido in each, and the overall plot line, he knew all the details; he remembered the love and the pain in each. "You always have been."

"I know, I just had not realized it," whispered Momo, hand falling back to her side, as the medication began to take affect. "Toshiro"

"Yeah, what is it?"

"That stone…what do you think it was?"

"I don't know," said Toshiro into the silence as he walked and peered out the window. In fact, until that night he had not really thought about it ever. Now the stone was bugging him for some reason. Looking at it from more mature eyes, something really did not make sense. "Just more questions; what I need are some answers," he sighed. A wave of quilt washed over him at the memory; he had never found Momo another rock like he had promised. He turned back to her.

As she continued though, it sounded like did not care or had forgotten that little detail. "That memory of us in Rukongai district…when we were kids…we had so much fun…have you ever thought about maybe hav-" Face flushed, not being able to finish her statement because of exhaustion and the medicine, she drifted off to sleep midsentence.

Toshiro stood thunderstruck; he had filled in the blanks. _Maybe it is the drug?_

_Keep dreaming kid,_ laughed Hyorinmaru as his master, hands shaking, slowly tiptoed over and felt Momo's forehead.

_She is slightly warm, but not…_

_Accept it; she meant it._

The sane part of Toshiro considered running away, but the majority of him just felt supreme happiness. _Thanks dragon, but shouldn't you being resting right now?_

_I could say the same to you. Okay, I will leave you alone. I want the details in the morning though._

_There won't be many, don't worry, _said Toshiro to a receding Hyorinmaru, not quite sure what the dragon meant by the last comment. He felt Momo's forehead again and frowned as he felt sweat beginning to break out. _I probably should get a rag for her fever and a futon for myself soon._ Toshiro did not get up though. His hand slid up her cheek and then to her hair instead. Slowly and gently, Toshiro slid the hairpiece off of her head. He did not believe that having her hair secured tightly in that thing would help with a headache or fever, and Toshiro wanted Momo as comfortable as possible. He sighed with relief when she stayed soundly asleep through the ordeal. As he took out the bun beneath it and watched the hair cascade in waves down her back, his heart knocked in his chest furiously and he whispered, "Truly I had not considered it yet… maybe just once or twice as a fantasy. However, maybe down the road I could see myself as a father." His right hand kept stroking the raven locks. "I know you would make an amazing mother." The moon was bathing the two of them in brilliant light, and Momo's mouth was opened in a tempting o as she slept.

Toshiro shook his head, burying the temptation. "That's it. I need a therapist." He did the only rational thing he could handle doing at the moment; he sprung up and decided to get a drink…of water.

Peace. It was a nice change of pace for Momo. She was not even thinking. Her world was white and peachy.

That was until the scene changed. Suddenly, she was staring at herself, unconscious and on the floor. She heard herself scream as she backed away cautiously. _Why does this place seem so familiar?_ Quickly, she turned around to run away and found herself staring into the face she had tried so hard to forget about. It was Aizen's, and he was peering through her as if she were just a piece of dust.

Then she knew. She was in the Central 46 chambers. As she watched Gin and Aizen leave, she considered following them, but decided not to. She just could not bring herself to leave her body; there was so much blood. _How did I live through that?_ Then she heard loud voices from outside; _is that really?_ Her suspicions were verified as Toshiro fast stepped into the room, and her heart broke at the sight on his face as he looked at her barely breathing form on the ground.

"Toshiro, I am alright!" she yelled, but he did not hear her. In this world, he could not. The emotions, they were so real and scary, Momo forgot it was a memory. She was trapped in a nightmare, and she did not know how to get out of it.

"Momo…no," Toshiro whispered, clenching his fists tightly.

Soon Aizen was talking to him and he was answering back, but the voices were annoying buzzing in Momo's ear. The only thing Momo concentrated on was her best friend's eyes; they were vacant, unseeing.

"Understanding is the farthest thing away from admiration." That was Aizen, and the quote was so true that it caught Momo's attention; it really hurt.

She rushed forward, but that was when Toshiro lost it. His raging spiritual pressure forced her to the ground as the room exploded around her. When she looked up, he was in Ban Kai. In the coldest voice she had ever heard, Toshiro muttered. "You've talked enough Aizen, time to die."

"NO, DON'T DO THIS; NOT FOR ME!" Momo shouted leaping to her feet. Toshiro charged. "NO SHIRO!" She rushed forward to try and separate the two. She winced, but then blinked in confusion, as Hitsugaya's and Aizen's swords passed right through her.

Then her mind comprehended the final result of Hitsugaya's attack. Blood was on her hands, and it was his. Shock kept her immobilized as the love of her life whispered, "But that's…im…possible," and collapsed at her feet.

"DON'T DIE; YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME! YOU PROMISED!" screamed Momo, sinking to her knees, shoulders shaking in pain from his open eyes that held no sign of life. "DON'T TELL ME I DID THIS TO YOU! PLEASE…NO…NO!"

Her hands reached for him, as at the same time something began to pull her away. As she blinked away the tears that were threatening to spill over; Toshiro vanished. Her lungs clenched; she could not breathe. Trying to escape whatever was holding her down she kicked vainly, and realized she was struggling to swim in some body of water. Eyes squinted, she swam for the surface, and her head finally broke free. "TOSHIRO!"

He was not there.

In fact no one was. She was in a river, and it was fast. Thunder boomed overhead, and she attempted to yell, but chocked instead, as the current once more dragged her under.

"Momo!" exclaimed a hysterical voice in the inky blackness.

Silence. There it was again; that panicking voice. "HINAMORI…BEDWETTER, WAKE UP…Wake up..wa" The sound faded, and the concept of waking up seemed increasingly foreign to the girl. She could not breathe again; with a sinking heart, she understood she was drowning.

_I am sorry,"_ she vainly thought to whoever was calling out to her as she felt her lungs give out, her eyes close, and the darkness take over.

Heart hammering, sweat rolling off her, she bolted straight up in her futon, "TOSHIRO!" She almost hit him in the head. Her eyes were wild, and she could see her spiritual pressure leaking off of her in wisps of vibrant purple.

"MOMO! Relax, you were dreaming! I am right here! Thank goodness, you are fine; I thought I was loosing you," soothed Toshiro in a much calmer tone than he felt. _So much for those pills working! _He was about two inches away from her. One arm was on her shoulder and the other was clenched at his side. It was pure white.

Momo threw his arms around him; head leaning on him so that she could feel his steady heartbeat. She felt his cheek and looked into his frosty, intelligent eyes round with concern; there was urgency in them and not the awful blankness from the dream, or whatever it was. "You're alive! I thought…but…I killed you…46"

"What are you talking about?"

She sprung up and threw open the door. Flashing to the balcony, Momo sighed in relief. She was in the 5th, there was no water nearby, and the weather was serene. The sun was even beginning to peep over the horizon. Toshiro appeared promptly beside her, patiently waiting for his friend to get a grip. Slowly, Momo's pressure returned to normal, and her reaitsu stopped pouring everywhere. As her heart calmed down, the adrenaline left, and Momo felt herself beginning to collapse.

"See, you are in Soul Society. It's okay; I got you," whispered Toshiro as he carried her back inside. She saw a futon he had pulled out lying in the opposite corner of hers. He set her down in hers and pulled a blanket over her, hoping the warmth would stop her from sitting there and shaking. It did not. Frowning, he took off his haori and placed it over Momo's shoulders as well.

"So what happened?" asked Momo hesitantly, holding the haori close.

"You started screaming. Then you began chocking, then you stopped breathing, and then you woke up." said Toshiro simply. "I was in the middle of sending a hell butterfly to the 4th when you finally snapped out of it." He retrieved a cloth from the ground, glared at in concentration, and handed it to Momo to place on her forehead. It was ice cold and felt great on her blazing skin. "Now, it might not be easy to recount, but you scared me to death. Don't you think I deserve to know what you just went through?"

With her free hand, Momo grabbed his wrist, not wanting to take her eyes off of him. "It was the central 46." She heard his soft intake of breath. "I…saw what you did after Aizen stabbed me that day." His eyes narrowed. "I saw and heard everything. I thought you were dead. When I saw you on the ground, showing no signs of life…I…I now how you felt. It was awful. It was so real; how could you, why would you go so far…for me? What did I do to deserve that loyalty?" She could not hold them back any longer, the tears started flowing.

"Bakka, you really do not think highly enough of yourself. I love you Bedwetter, remember?" sighed Toshiro wrapping his arms around her, letting her know he was truly there. Momo buried his head in his chest, once more hearing the strong drum inside. "I never wanted you to have to see or remember that event. I'm truly sorry. But if it would protect you, I would do it all over again."

"Fair enough; I would do the same for you. But please…don't let me see you like that anymore," begged Momo.

"I promise; I will do my best. This job always has risks. And I will always fight to the last breath to make sure I can come back to you."

"I know, truly."

"That's my girl. You be careful too."

Momo smiled at him through the tears; she knew now how upset he would be if she was the one who could never come back. She had just seen his intense rage and grief. In its own way, it was flattering.

"I must look awful." she hiccupped.

"No, not at all; you just look exhausted, feverish, and like you had a bad dream," concluded Toshiro with a slight smirk.

"Do I have to go to sleep again?" she whispered dreadfully as the tears finally stilled.

The smirk faded. She needed rest, but he there was no way he was going to force her to go through the torture again. "Not for awhile." In compassion, he kissed her forehead. Her eyes closed in sweet satisfaction. "Plus, I don't think you have finished your side of the story yet."


	9. The Perfect Book in a Perfect Mess

Disclaimer: Ahhhhhhhhhh, I don't own Bleach. If I did, there is no way I would be putting Toshiro in the situation he is now!

It was only 3:00 P.M., but it felt like midnight.

Rangiku sighed. Blinking, she yawned and put the pen on the paper. As she brought the quill around to sign her signature, she jumped as a firm, masculine hand stopped the writing utensil in its tracks.

She looked up into her captain's tumultuous expression.

"Did you ever obey my orders at all?" _Of course the one time she finishes the paperwork is when she is not supposed to. I just can't win can I?_ thought Toshiro heatedly.

"Yes, sir; I waited five hours just like you said."

"Uncross those fingers hiding under the desk Rangiku; there is no way you could have slept and finished the paperwork! You are barely awake; you did not even hear me come in!"

"Well, did you really get any rest either?" fired back Rangiku in annoyance. She changed the subject as she saw him cringe and her breathe appear in the sudden cold. "What about Momo, how is she holding up?"

"Decently," said Toshiro running his fingers through his hair. Rangiku could read through the lines easily enough; he was lying. "Senna, after she got released a couple of hours ago, insisted that she could handle her for awhile. Plus, I needed to check on my division and a couple of other things."

Rangiku frowned at the not so positive update, and then she smiled. Her poor taicho was worried and flustered; that would never do. "Seriously though, I was not just doing paperwork. Momo told me who she wanted in the wedding yesterday, she was going to check it with you, of course, but things got hectic, so I checked with everyone. They are all excited. I got their sizes, and I have the dresses and suits in the spare room. Over the next couple of days they can come in for final fittings." she told him eagerly.

"Really?" blinked Toshiro as his anger towards his lieutenant quickly evaporated. She was like a big sister to him and Momo, and when she did stuff like this it was impossible to stay mad at her.

"Yep"

"I see. Good work. Now I am going to the 12th for a little bit. Go have some fun and get some sleep; IT'S AN ORDER!" concluded Toshiro firmly, heart a little lighter, mind roving to the mysterious wedding dress.

_Yes, you do need a therapist Shiro,_ laughed Hyorinmaru, not being able to help himself.

His master had walked right into that one.

"Can I go see Momo and Senna?" asked Rangiku eagerly, catching her captain before he left the room.

"I don't see why not." said Toshiro while pointedly ignoring the cackling dragon inside his head. "When I left Senna said something about cake, and she seemed pretty excited about it."

"Oh, that must be the samplers for the wedding!" squealed Rangiku with delight.

Toshiro knitted his eyes. "Rangiku…if these attacks along with planning a wedding is too much for Momo, we can push back the date. Just make she knows I want her happy, and I will go along with whatever she chooses." He went forward, thought a second, and paused. "Oh…and if Senna gets on a sugar high from this adventure and forgets the notes I left her with, will you make sure everything is okay? If Momo falls asleep, let her be. If she starts tossing really bad or starts talking, wake her up. If she won't wake up in less than 2 minutes, get the 4th immediately."

"Of course…I will take care of it Taicho. What about Unohana?"

"Thank you Rangiku; I will talk to Captain Unohana later personally."

"Alright, how do you feel about having BBQ ribs maybe for the main meal at the reception?"

"Are you still hung-over?" cried Toshiro in exasperation, hands flying in the air, as he left the building.

"So I take it, that's a no?" called out Rangiku in disappointment.

He did not even bother to answer her. _Why in the world did Inoue get her addicted to those?_

_Why in the world is she so peppy?_ meanwhile thought Momo as Senna bounced around the room. Senna had recovered so fast, and Momo was just still too plain tired to keep up with her. The captain had not felt comfortable about trying to sleep until a couple of hours after the weird panic attack; Toshiro and her had just talked until she had passed out again. A couple of times she once more felt herself starting to sink underwater, but each time Toshiro had quickly shaken her out of it. Momo decided right away that there was nothing better than waking up in his arms.

"Are you paying attention to me? Are you all right?"

"Of course she is. She is just tired and in love," laughed Rukia as she appeared suddenly in the window.

"Sorry, Senna, I am okay!" smiled Momo, fighting her lurking migraine and not the least bit bothered by Rukia's random entrance; Momo was that tired. "Hi Rukia, did everything go okay?"

"Yeah it did, so you just quite worrying about it! You know, you only have 5 days until the wedding. Maybe we should be planning. This whole attack set some things back!"

"Yeah," grimaced Momo. "I know what you mean. Knowing Rangiku, she will be here in a few minutes, so no worries!"

"What colors are you thinking about for your wedding?" asked Rukia curiously, rocking her feet back in forth on the window ledge.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" asked Ikkau as he and Toshiro entered the library at the 12th.

Toshiro smirked. "Books"

"Do you always have to be like that?" grumbled Ikkau, rolling his eyes.

"For the most, yeah," smiled Toshiro, glad to see his friend's spirit picking up again.

"Last time I checked it was teal and white, unless that has changed?" answered Rangiku as she walked through the door back at the 5th.

"I told you guys, and no Rangiku, it has not." laughed Momo, gratefully that she had shown up.

"That's good because I already have the dresses." grinned Rangiku, leaning against the wall. "Anyway, Senna planned a surprise for you."

Senna's eyes sparkled. "THEY'RE HERE?"

"Wait, what is going on?" asked Momo, worried by the enthusiasm.

"Yeah, they should be here in 5, 4, 3 1/2, 3, 2, 1. Bingo!"

Two shinigami burst through the door. They had cake, and lots of it. Behind them came Ichigo and Orihime.

"We smelled the food," said Ichigo. He looked at Momo critically. Granted she was sitting up, but he was thankful she was in bed. She was still extremely pale, but her eyes were much more alert than they had been a few hours ago.

"Silly, it's just samplers and design ideas for the wedding," said Rukia while rolling her eyes.

Ichigo looked at all the girls around him, "Wedding planning?" His eyes roved for a split second to Orihime, and he started blushing.

Momo noticed his uncomfortable fidgeting, and, understanding why he had really come, decided to save him. "Yeah, but if you don't want to stay, we can save you a piece of cake. I hate to ask this of you, but I have not been able to take the patrols through the sewers yet. Could you cover for me?"

"Bakka, of course I will. You just stay put for awhile." He humped as he waved and walked out the door.

Toshiro pursed his lips thoughtfully. He and Ikkau were standing in an aisle of the _complex personalities_ section of the library. "Yeah, no doubt this is the place." There were several spots of blood on the shelves in front of them. More importantly, books were every where. There were only a few left on the shelf.

"So do we have to take all of these?" groaned Ikkau, eyes opened wide as he realized the full destruction the attack had caused. Because of it, now he actually had to _read_.

"Yeah, so we better get started," answered Toshiro.

_Too much cake_! was really the only thought running through Momo's mind at that moment. Chocolate, white, marble, peach: she had lost track awhile ago.

"Oh, there's a butterfly. So what are we going to eat? When do I get to see the dresses? What are you going to dance to?" asked Senna, who was chowing down on a huge piece of cake.

It was her 15th piece.

_Great, on top of everything else, my lieutenant has just lost her sanity! She does make a good point though, _laughed Momo to herself. Thankfully, the upbeat atmosphere was having an impact on her, and the girl group had gotten her extremely excited about the wedding again. "I had not really thought about the dance yet; I don't know." Her cheeks felt like they were on fire.

Rukia smirked in understanding at her. "I am sure I can have Renji and Ichigo handle di-jaying. Will you help me on Ichigo, Orihime?"

Orihime turned into a ripe tomato. "Me"

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Quit trying to deny it. I am pretty sure he likes you too. I could knock some sense into him if you want me to."

"NO Rukia, we really do not want him having a bruise on the day of the wedding," scolded Rangiku quickly. "Sounds fine with me, but you still have to pick the song Momo."

"Oh…I will have to think about that one for a little bit."

"Okay, what about the cake?"

"I…Senna you are enjoying this more than I am, what is your favorite?" smiled Momo.

"The peach…and the chocolate"

"That is what we will have them. Could we have the cake in the shape of a dragon with some ice flowers?" asked Momo kindly to one of the chefs.

"Whatever you ask for miss, you will receive." he said in reply.

Meanwhile, Ikkau was a little. um. Mad. It had taken them two hours to get all of the books into wagons, and now he had to go read them. What had he done to deserve this torture?

"Well, that is it." Toshiro sighed as he started lugging his half out of the aisle.

"You almost missed one captain," growled Ikkau, following right behind him, picking up a small book that had been lying on the top shelf.

He heard the short taicho grunt in reply. As the sections flashed by them, like _birds_, _cooking_, _zanpaktou_, and _kido_, Ikkau began zoning out.

Consequently, he brilliantly ran into Toshiro's wagon. "WHY DID YOU STOP?" he yelled.

"Well, why were you not paying attention?" the captain easily countered while looking at the new section on their right. It was labeled _catalysts_. He frowned. "How about you go on Ikkau, and I will check with you later. There is something I would like to look into."

"That does not matter to me. Don't forget, you have a captain's meeting in a hour." reminded Ikkau as he left.

He knew better than to ask questions when the child prodigy had that look on his face.

Hinakyrie

All right everyone; I am sorry this is short. However, I will not be able to update until after Easter, so I wanted to give my amazing readers something! You guys deserve it! Please, please, please keep reviewing for me. I have some ideas, but I still want some feedback and suggestions. Happy late Valentine's Day and Happy Early Easter!


	10. Now What?

Now What?

Disclaimer: Let's see. Nope, I still don't own Bleach or any of its characters, shucks.

Two hours later

Nothing

With a sigh of exasperation, Toshiro broke down and threw his haori behind him; the library was beginning to feel stuffy. However, the determined captain was not ready to accept that he had hit a dead end just yet. He was in his own world, his own element, and not even lack of sleep or the heat of the old, packed building was going to take him out of it.

Or so he thought

"My, my, what do we have here Nemu? It looks like someone does not know what he is looking for." whispered a voice behind him, causing the usually collected teenager to jump a foot.

It was Kurostuchi, the one person Toshiro had no desire to talk to. In fact, he did not even say anything to the captain; Toshiro just nodded his head in silent acknowledgement. Nemu returned the gesture.

Apparently, he was not the only one who was in a sharp mood. Toshiro grimaced as his dragon screamed angrily in his head; it was worse than nails on a chalkboard. _Little Bakka, loose the pride and ask for some help!_

_No, I won't Hyorinmaru!_

_And why not exactly?_

_Because…I won't have him handling my problems, or more importantly, treating Momo like a wonderful chance of exploration!_

The dragon sighed and said in a much more gentle tone. _Let's face it Master. Captain Unohana has no clue what is happening to her, if those dreams get worse she might not wake up next time. We…need him!_

"I guess that I am not sure; maybe you could help me?" Toshiro found himself saying aloud seconds later; it was a rare occasion when he had no more logic to fight Hyorinmaru with.

Basically, Momo's safety came before anything else.

In reply, Captain Kurostuchi grinned evilly, tapping his long fingernails together in excitement. "Well, someone must be really desperate at the moment."

It turned out; Momo had finally gotten just about as desperate as Toshiro was. Basically, getting Senna high on sugar and pain pills was _not_, and I repeat _not_, a good idea. After the girl's highly flexing reiatsu had knocked out a couple of innocent bystanders walking by the office and just minding their own businesses, Momo had executively decided something needed to be done. In other words, at Momo's suggestion, Senna had just volunteered to give Orihime an "official" tour of the Sereitei. Thankfully, when Senna was in this state, she apparently never really dissected her superior's orders too much. The fact that Orihime already knew the place backwards and forwards did not even occur to the hyper lieutenant. Also, Rukia had offered to go with them, mainly to catch Senna when she finally crashed, which was bound to happen, and to check up on Renji.

As the party's voices faded into the background, Rangiku smiled. "And then there were two."

Momo yawned, eyes sparkling, voice light and good humored, "Pretty soon there might only be one."

"I can take a hint."

"NO! I didn't mean it like that. It came out wrong. You are doing so much, and I am sorry this whole security breach is happening now… I am not making much sense, am I?"

Rangiku arched her eyebrows and laughed at Momo's suddenly flustered attitude. "I know. Stop worrying; it's not your fault, but you seriously still need some sleep to get ready for this wedding. Remember Momo…If it does become overwhelming, weddings can be postponed."

"Toshiro was worried and told you to say that didn't he?"

Busted

Rangiku's silence was answer enough. Momo thought back to how much it meant to have Toshiro near her. "I am tired of waiting. Weddings are typically overwhelming, no matter what is going on, right?"

"Okay, but you still have slight bags under your eyes."

Momo's eyebrows knitted together as she took a deep, second look at her wedding planner and really close friend. "You have some nice ones too; you know. You were quieter than usual too. Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be? You are safe, and you and Taicho are getting married! I am still just a little tired. Plus, Senna was wound up enough for all of us put together."

On the surface, the reasons sounded logical. However, Momo could feel something was missing. "That act might fool everyone else Rangiku, but I know better. What's wrong?"

"Everything, are you sure that you are telling me _everything_?" asked Captain Kurostuchi curiously.

He received a livid glare in return. Toshiro's patience had been tried a lot over the past couple of days, and he was about out of it. He felt like he was getting nowhere, which was extremely hard on his self-esteem, and the other present captain's nit-picking was not helping. "Yes, I told you everything. The memories were: the coma, the day Ichigo left, and when Momo saw her first hollow."

Captain Kurostuchi rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Because of the order of events, we can assume the enemy was not after the childhood memory. Much more likely, he was after war memories or the inner workings of the Sereitei."

"How sure are you about that? She said she thought she saw her attacker in that memory; he was just much younger. Plus, Momo said her attacker looked really shaken up, but happy about something, after she deflected the kido attack, after_ that_ memory."

"I still think that one is not the one to concentrate on. Probably, that figure just appeared because of the length of the spell and the tampering Momo did with the kido bonds ahead of it. The theory of this is called the focus constant; you should have been given the very basics of this idea at the academy."

Toshiro shifted his weight slightly. He probably had learned about it, but it was not ringing a bell. He mainly focused on learning the kido spells he needed, and the basic adjustments that could be made with them, but that was about it. He had never really understood the theories behind them; Toshiro was much more in tune and stronger when it came to fighting with his blade.

"Well, let me remind you then. If you want to deflect an attack or produce a major kido spell, you must have a focal point, a focus, or a constant felling deep in your heart. With the strain of the attack Momo's focus was all on regaining her thoughts and being able to counterattack. The image of the man was most likely a figment of her imagination. A much needed aid her imagination dreamed up to help her counter. In life threatening situations, it has actually become a common occurrence. The rock is also nothing to worry about; a shinigami must have put energy into it, or in a worse case died there. After she used it; I believe it probably was gone. Again, her situation was so intense; it must have released all of the reiatsu inside of it at once. The worst thing it could have done was trigger her spiritual pressure that was sleeping deep inside of her."

Toshiro nodded; it made sense. _Even though I have not found a book that will help me, at least I ended up in the right section. Plus, I am starting to reach the conclusion that Captain Kurostuchi knows the subject better than a textbook anyway. I guess…I can always come back if I need to._

"It is an interesting scenario though; I will be looking through everything with a fine tooth comb."

Toshiro could not decide if that was a comfort or a horror. He decided to change the subject to cover his concern. "Fukutaicho Nemu, by chance do you know what time it is?"

"5:00 P.M. Taicho Hitsugaya"

"Thank you. Captain, shouldn't we be heading off to the Captains' meeting?"

"Annoyingly, yes we should. Nemu, start researching and making sure the lab did not lose any data or was hacked into."

"Yes sir"

"Why are you being so abrupt?" meanwhile sighed Rangiku to Momo.

"Because I have been a fighting a major headache for a couple of days now, so I am getting really tired of beating around the bush," said Momo. "Mostly though, I worry about you. Toshiro does too; you know!"

"I know. It's okay; those ancient memories keep popping up again. That's all; I swear."

"Rangiku…there was nothing you could do. As much as it hurts; you did the right thing."

Momo slowly stood up and went over to Rangiku, who was occupied with hiding her eyes. "And I know how hard that was. After all, I worshipped the ground Aizen walked on."

Rangiku allowed Momo to wrap her arms around her. "Yes, but you still have Toshiro."

Momo shook her head and moved a piece of Rangiku's wild hair behind her left ear. "Silly, you still have Hisagi. I have seen the way you two look at each other. I will make sure you walk with him at the wedding and everything."

"You're the best! And time is helping."

"Friends forever?"

"I promise."

They sat in silence, both wrapped in their own thoughts for quite a while. Actually, Momo caught herself fading off to sleep a couple of times. With a yawn, Momo said into the rapidly darkening room, "Hey…Rangiku"

"Yeah"

"Would you be willing to be my maid of honor…and would you be willing to give one of the toasts? I am sure you have great stories about Toshiro that I don't even know that you can bring in."

"I might be able to think of a few…thanks Momo."

"Not a problem. What was he like when he was younger; when I was already assigned to the 5th squad?"

"Toshiro, well, he was pretty much like he is now, just…smaller. He had issues controlling his reiatsu and an exponential amount of ambition, once he dedicated himself into reaching captain level." Rangiku suddenly erupted in a roar of laughter. "One time, his reiatsu flared so much; he froze most of the ground around him solid. He sent one of the teachers to the 4th for about a month. Plus, the kids were going to have chili for lunch that day; let's just say that didn't happen. Since I was his legal sponsor while he was at the academy, on paper anyway, the academy got in contact with me right away. I teased him about it for months."

"Looking back, beats me why they let you be my sponsor. They were asking for the Soul Society to come crashing down. You enjoyed me getting into trouble now and again way too much!" said a dry voice from the doorway. "Anyway, most of the students were thanking me for it. With the trees, buildings, and the amount of reiatsu being what they were, it made a giant slide of ice. People, with the exception of me, of course, kept skipping class to go play or train on it. Plus, Rangiku, that teacher recovered fine, laughed about it, and was not in the 4th for a whole month."

Momo smiled as Toshiro walked over to her, but deep in inside flinched. _Well, that's the third time recently someone has caught me unaware. What is happening to me?"_

"How are you feeling?"

_Better with you in the room,_ Momo thought, as her heart sped up. Aloud she said, "I'm fine."

Toshiro gave her a hard look and nodded, deciding that she was stable, just still a little pale. However, it was a great improvement from the night before. "How are the wedding plans going?"

"At the moment we are making some major process." One look at the two girls, the papers spread all over the floor, and some boxes he had missed stuffed in the corner behind one of the file cabinets said otherwise.

"If it comes down to it, we could elope," sighed Toshiro, finally putting it officially out there.

He was attacked/choked by Rangiku.

"You can't!...Or if you do, you have to take me too!" she said hysterically, throwing herself to the floor and wrapping her arms around Toshiro's legs, clearly intending to never let go unless she got her way.

Toshiro glanced at Momo, waiting for her opinion. His fiancé mouthed, "Sorry, but let's stay and celebrate here…unless you really want to elope."

Toshiro rolled his eyes, crossed his arms, and gave Rangiku an evil glare. "Well, you going totally defeats the purpose of eloping, so I guess we will stay here."

"Taicho, you are so mean." pouted Rangiku, her bottom lip puffed out and her arms crossed. But, her beaming face and sparkling eyes was not fooling anybody. "Unless we are having a few drinks to ce-"

"Absolutely not!"

"Well, then just for that; I am leaving!" huffed Rangiku.

"Okay…get some sleep, you've earned it!" said Toshiro calmly, not even fazed by his lieutenant's dramatic attitude.

"Yes…sweet dreams," whispered Momo, receiving a smile in return from the red head.

Toshiro sighed in relief as Rangiku's spiritual pressure vanished from the area. "Finally, there can be some peace and quiet."

Momo almost laughed. "That is pretty wishful thinking."

Toshiro cocked an eyebrow and smiled, with a certain emotion in his eyes that Momo could not exactly put a name to. "Really, are you sure?"

"Are you sure?" asked Ikkau to Hanaterou.

"Positive"

"Why not?"

"Well, I have to go and see Senna. Rukia sent a butterfly saying that she finally crashed over at Renji's." Hanaterou sighed at Ikkau furious look. "But here, give me a few. Later tonight or in-between my rounds, I should be able to take a look at them."

It was Ikkau's turn to sigh. "Okay, thanks"

"Anytime"

As Toshiro's hand brushed her shoulder, Momo smiled. Suddenly though, pain rammed through her head. She flinched.

"Here, Captain Unohana told me to try these." whispered Toshiro anxiously, tipping Momo's head back and giving her a drink to help her choke the purple horse-pills down. _And to think, she has only been medicine free for about three months since the war. Now she is on it all over again_.

Momo read through her fiancé's clenched fist and quiet demeanor right away. "Okay what's wrong? What did they say at the meeting?"

"Nothing to both questions, but the soutaicho gave us permission to carry our zanpaktou at all times. It's just…the lack of intelligence on this whole situation is really frustrating."

Momo couldn't argue with that one.

Toshiro didn't say it aloud, but the lack of information also reminded him way too much of Aizen's style.

"Don't worry; we'll figure it out. Plus, with Ichigo and his friends and family being here; we do have some extra firepower." Momo said, trying to ease both of their minds.

"Yeah…you are probably right."

"Hmm" she tilted Toshiro's chin toward her. She smirked. "I thought that I was always right."

Toshiro gave her one of his rare smiles. "You wish." The love of his life pretended to pout. "You have been taking lessons from Rangiku, haven't you?"

"Is it working?"

He actually laughed and quickly kissed her forehead. "Maybe"

_Sucker!_

Momo felt like the luckiest girl ever.

_Hyorinmaru_

_Yeah_

_Just…shut up!_

"You know Yumichika; it is way too quiet in here. You need to wake up already and help out with these." sighed Ikkau to the unconscious form on the bed. He grumbled aloud, "And Hanaterou wasn't much help. He only took the mangled and small books. Yeah, he said he picked those because they were easier to carry; therefore he could carry more, but I think that he really did it to mock me!" Totally annoyed, he walked over to the bed and slammed the heavy book he was reading, Dragons: the Truth Revealed, at Yumichika's feet. "I AM GOING TO BED!"

Meanwhile, Shizuka really just wanted some sleep, but he wasn't about to get any. Yesterday had forced him to rethink his strategy. He looked at two of the very few people he had grown to trust…and actually care about. "The key to this puzzle is Toshiro Hitsugaya. His attachment to Captain Hinamori, and her devotion to him in return, triggered the twin stones. I want everything ready to go in two days at the latest." He thought about the girl; there was something about the captain he could just not shake. "And listen, I need you guys free and in good health for this endeavor. Whatever you do, avoid engaging her at all costs. Do you understand?"

"Hai!"

Renji sighed; he had not planned on having this many people over. He felt a headache coming on. He heard the knock at the door and grimaced.

"Hey Renji, can I come in?"

"No Ichigo!"

"Thanks"

Crash!

"DO YOU EVER LISTEN? SURELY IT CAN'T ALL GO IN ONE EAR AND OUT THE OTHER!" Renji groaned, his face a beautiful crimson. Now, thanks to that punk, he had to get a new door. As he wearily sank onto the couch, he looked at the books Hanaterou had brought over, for who knows what reason, and were scattered on the end table. At the moment, the medic was sitting beside Senna, who was out cold, and emersed in one of them. "Hey Hanaterou, is it okay if I read one of these for awhile?"

"Yes…be my guest. Actually, you would be doing me a good favor. Thanks Renji!"

Renji really did not understand the favor part, but he welcomed the distraction from the crazy and loud conversations that were going on around him. Plus, that way he would not have to think about how much a new door would cost. He reached for the book that was on top, but halted as the tattered one, with a shiny bookmark sticking out of it, caught his eye.

It caught Rukia's too. She came and flopped down beside him. "What's that? Does it have pictures?"

"I don't know. Here, let's see."

"What song she would we do for our first dance Toshiro?" asked Momo, suddenly remembering what she had promised to think about to the girls.

"That is a little random."

Momo laughed. "It will be fine; stop trying to change the subject."

"How…about you surprise me?"

"Well…it's just that I can't think of any. I don't want it to be traditional, but I want it to be sweet and tell our story too."

Toshiro leaned back to think.

Rukia stared open mouth at Renji. "Surely this isn-"

"I don't really get this."

"The stone"

"Rukia, this is talking about swords."

She hit him on the head. Renji opened his mouth to yell, but stopped at Rukia's hysteric expression and grabbed her arm. "What…Rukia, what is it?"

She hit him again.

"WOULD YOU STOP DOING THAT!" Renji yelled, grabbing both of her arms, his quick temper getting the better of him.

"Keep reading Bakka!" Rukia screamed at him.

Well, their attitude had definitely gotten everyone's attention.

Meanwhile, alone on patrol, Shizuka felt the stone heating up in his pocket. "Enjoy your happiness and power while it lasts. I am sorry, but soon you will be nothing more than a memory…Captain Hinamori." He forced his unease to the back of his mind and blinked in confusion as he saw the captain and her fiancé in front of him, lost in their own world. He turned around, blinked, and was once more leaning against the wall close to the 1st division.

Then he smiled. "Finally the stone, wherever it is, has recognized its sibling."

"How does _My Heart Will Go On _sound?"

"Toshiro, that's perfect. Forever and ever?"

"Forever and ever"

Shielded by shadows of the wall, Shizuka laughed.

-hinakyrie

Okay, I have no excuses; I apologize for the lateness of this. Hopefully, my next chapter will not take as long! Happy first day of summer! Have fun! Please review; you know the drill. All of the reviews and support mean the world to me!


	11. Pieces of an Unsolved Puzzle

Pieces of an Unsolvable Puzzle

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of its characters, shocker; I know!

"Forever and ever"

Momo shivered at the lovely feeling those words gave her.

Cold Mother Nature seemed to have a different idea. Momo was probably imagining things, but it felt as if the wind was laughing at her fiancé's strong affirmation of their bond together, mocking her. For several years, life and Mother Nature had been throwing her way to many curveballs, teasing her with dreams and fantasies and usually just giving her nightmares. And now, just when Momo was about to have one of the most important days of her life, they had thrown a storm her way.

Bluntly, she was tired of it.

Her eyes fluttered and closed as she leaned comfortably against Toshiro, deciding to ignore the weather outside. _Am I just being selfish? This, right here, right now, is it just a dream too? _

_You know better than that_, scolded Tobiume.

She smiled as she felt Toshiro's firm muscles and soft hands supporting her. "I know."

While she fell into a peaceful slumber, elsewhere the energy was tense to say the least. "Wait, just go over it again. I still don't understand." growled Ichigo, hands combing angrily through his hair.

Renji rolled his eyes. Yeah, it had taken awhile and a few punches from Rukia to understand the situation, but even he had gotten the gist of it.

That was saying something.

"Ichigo this is getting ridiculous, just pay attention."

"Why you li-"

"Save the fighting until later!" snapped Rukia looking angrily between her two best friends.

Ichigo shut up. He knew better than to take _her_ over the edge.

"The twin stones in this picture are not just swords; they change to fit the personality of the person or persons they are on at the time. That is why they are so elusive and have only been studied once. Even then, they disappeared after being in the lab for about an hour."

"But Rukia," said Renji suddenly, seeing a major problem. "How do we know we are even dealing with the twin stones? You have absolutely no proof."

"True, maybe I am over-reacting, but WE HAVE TO CHECK IT OUT!"

Renji frowned. She did have a point.

"Why do these things matter anyway?" snapped Ichigo, frustration beginning to get the better of him.

"Bakka, these are extremely powerful, and the intruders' styles would coincide greatly with the stones. They are best suited for kido users. If they are connected and brought together; they could cause major damage."

Silence, a very major, awkward silence filled the room. Everyone knew how strong Momo was at kido, but no one felt like verbally pointing out the fact.

"Isn't there more information?" asked Orihime softly, concerned and wanting to break the silence.

"Sorry," said Rukia. "It was in the lab for only one hour, not much is known about it."

Renji knitted his eyebrows together. "Wait, Rukia. There's a footnote."

She screamed and, chocking, closed her mouth before any more water could ram down her throat. The river flailed around her as she tried to kick to the surface. She heard voices, this time there were two. She reached as a hand appeared in her swimming vision. Using her last burst of energy, Momo grabbed the outstretched hand. As her head finally broke the surface, she found herself looking into Toshiro's apathetic face as he floated a couple of inches above the water.

"Shiro?" she chocked. He did not react; his cold face was not focused on her at all. Curiously, she followed his expression, which was fixed on the shoreline. The look was fixed on Shizuka, a younger, hyperventilating, screaming Shizuka. Where hate had been before, something stirred in Momo's heart for the ryoka.

It was pity.

"Toshiro, what's happening?"

Toshiro didn't answer. He glared, and dropped her back into the raging water. Mid-scream, everything went black.

"You mean; he could take over everything with those!" stuttered Hanaterou at the 13th.

Rukia looked at the deathly pale faces around her. "Looks that way"

"When the two bearers willingly bring the stones together, there is a major explosion. Bring them together with an advanced kido user and the main frame at the 1st; it means disaster. New king, new squad, and new power for hypnosis attacks; this could be really bad." growled Renji.

"C…c'mon there are so many of us, surely we could take them."

"Well, remember Ichigo. It was hard enough for five of us, and a cat, to invade Soul Society and rescue Rukia. They have managed to sneak in and try to take over with about three. They must have unique powers of some sort. Don't underestimate them!" said a certain quincy as he dropped effortlessly from the ceiling.

"Actually, I don't believe it was really that difficult for you," sighed Renji. "Or at least you made it look easy."

Ichigo, totally ignoring Renji, stared in disbelief at the newcomer. "Wait, Uryu, when did you get here? I thought you were staying in Karakura."

"Dad was being very uncharacteristic and gave me the okay. He said he would watch over the town for us. Plus, Chad's there. I officially landed last night, I have been helping Nemu. There is nothing new on that end."

Renji just shook his head, secretly wondering how the brat had managed to bypass his wards. Then he seriously thought about it; it really wasn't that surprising. He could worry about his lack of security later. "Do you always have to act so sneaky?"

"Yeah, why do you care?"

"WOULD YOU GUYS FOCUS!" snapped Rukia. "I guess right now we have to fill in Toshiro and Momo. We have to find the stones!"

Uryu pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Sorry Rukia, that just sounds too easy. There is something that we're missing. There has to be."

"Plus, we don't even know if these stones are the real issue," Ichigo bluntly pointed out.

Rukia kicked him.

The hospital room was dark. "I have got to pass these on to someone else," sighed Ikkau, thoroughly bored with his assignment, but not quite willing to give up and succumb to sleep. "And to think, 10 pages down in this blasted thing, still 227 more to go."

He threw the book at Yumichika's head to vent some anger.

He missed.

Momo blinked at the new scene in front of her. Her clothes were dry, and she was not shaking anymore. "Wh-"

She stopped abruptly as she stared at the shadowy figure in front of her as her vision cleared. His back was turned away from the captain as he inched through the shadows. Weirdly enough, this odd scenario was much preferred for Momo over the freezing river. _Great, I must be dreaming again. It is almost like that last memory that surfaced when Shizuka attacked me._

"GUYS, over here; I heard something." The sound of pounding footsteps on the roof was rapidly approaching.

Shizuka suddenly stopped and hugged himself against the wall. Out of pure instinct, Momo did the same. She froze as the invader turned towards her, amber eyes bright.

Not having time for any kido, Momo relaxed with relief as it became apparent that Shizuka could not see her. _Good, I am just dreaming again._

"You're nuts; it was probably a bird or something." said a voice from the roof.

"May-"

"Just come on; we have to go check the West Wall"

"Hai"

As the footsteps faded away, Shizuka began moving once again. Not really having a choice, Momo followed.

Considering that most of the buildings in the Sereitei look the same, it took several moments for Momo to realize that the two of them were in the 1st. Horrified, Momo watched as Shizuka skillfully slipped around the guards.

He was going straight for the main frame, and, dream or not, it sent shivers down the young captain's spine.

"TOSHIRO" Momo screamed, picture fading in to a swirling white vortex, as she jumped up, right hand going instantly to her side.

"Looking for this?" asked a voice. Momo shook her head, begging for her vision to clear.

"Well, let's say that Rukia is right about her twin stone theory. How much time do we have, do you think?" questioned Renji contemplatively.

Ichigo sighed. "It's hard to say."

"Should we inform all of the Captains?" asked Hanaterou worriedly.

"No offense, but things to run smoother around her when everyone does their own thing," argued Uryu.

Personally, Renji agreed. All he had to do was look at any person in the room to verify the point. None of them were the best at following orders, thank goodness, so working without proper authorization wouldn't be an issue. "And they wouldn't believe us if we told them anyway. We have no proof."

Rukia sighed with frustration. "You don't think they would be cruel enough to attack during the wedding, do you?"

"Ichigo, where are you going?" cried out Orihime suddenly. Everyone turned to see Ichigo standing up on the window sill, the rising sun highlighting his hair with a brilliant orange. It made him look like a pretty impressive figure.

"Well, sitting around here isn't going to solve anything; let's move."

Renji actually smiled, that pose brought back some powerful memories. "Hai"

Meanwhile, Momo tried to fight down her rising panic, once more reaching for her sword.

"Momo, relax, I have it; I have Tobiume." whispered Toshiro, placing his arms gently on her shoulders, as his fiancé finally became aware of her surroundings, not that she was showing him any signs to make him aware of this fact.

Her blank, yet wild, expression scared him.

Momo quickly grabbed the sword, nodded in thanks to a very, very disturbed Toshiro and started running as quickly as she could, grateful to feel her zanpaktou and the strength it provided her with in her hands again.

Of course, Toshiro, being the prodigy that he was, was faster still. "Hold on a minute, WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO DO EXACTLY?" he snapped, stepping in front of her to force her into halting, ice in his eyes, sweat running down his forehead.

"The ryoka, that Shizuka guy; he is breaking into the main frame."

"Wha…Momo, it was just a dream."

"It was…but it wasn't." she pleaded.

Toshiro's heart was thumping too loud as he looked at those chocolate irises, those _determined_ chocolate irises. _This doesn't make any sense. I have to get her to bed; she can't make it to the 1__st__ like this._

"Okay, then let me go check it out…alone."

"No, until death do us part, remember!"

"Exactly, I want you alive. If you run yourself to death now, there is really no point, is there." pleaded Toshiro, trying to stop her with some logic.

"I swear Toshiro; it's happening…I am not crazy. We have to go, together."

He looked at her, hard. He couldn't stand that look on her face. He sighed and fought down his rising dread. "Okay, but my orders go." _I guess if I won't believe you, who will?_

"Would you hurry up!" snapped Rukia.

Renji buried the urge to punch something, mainly her. "I am going as fast as I can."

"Well, then go faster. Now, why now!" grumbled Rukia to herself.

Renji grabbed her hand, shaking her out of her reverie. "We have to turn up here."

"Oh, yeah"

The red-haired shinigami just shook her head. _Like usual she is keeping all of her fears to herself; she hasn't changed a bit. _

"Rukia, just trust me, we are going to make it to the main frame. We are going to figure it out. We have gotten through way worse than this, right?" urged Renji, giving her hand an extra squeeze, reading his childhood friend like an open book.

Rukia smiled at him, reading between the lines. "Right"

Toshiro worked on keeping his breathing regular as the midmorning sun beat on them. Only two more divisions left. _Considering how much I have been running around over the past couple of days, I should be a pro at this_. His eyes narrowed as he watched Momo. While her breathing was labored, it was steady. Pure adrenaline was keeping her going.

She glanced over at him, drawn by the intense look, yet lost in her own confused thoughts. "You would never drop me in a river, right?"

"Where…in the world did that come from?"

"Nothing, I was just wondering. Sorry, the dreams are just starting to get to me."

"Momo, I would not let that happen to you in a million years. Remember, they're just dreams."

Shizuka smiled; finally he had been successful at something. He left.

"Hey guys!" yelled Ichigo as he barreled into Momo's living quarters.

The people he was expecting weren't there.

Someone else was though.

~Hinakyrie

Okay, thank you so much for reading this! Please, please, please review! I want some input and ideas for the next couple of chapters. What do you guys want to read? I have some ideas, but there are still things I have left open.


	12. Prison Sentences

Prison Sentences

Disclaimer: Don't own Bleach, same old, same old

As they all skidded quickly to a stop to avoid running into each other, Momo once again kicked herself for not sensing spiritual pressure._ I am seriously beginning to wonder if I have lost my touch._

Toshiro was thoroughly confused- end of story. "WHAT ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?"

"Trying to save your life midget, so I would keep your voice down," snapped Rukia. How she got away with putting Toshiro in his place was a mystery to everyone, maybe it was because they both had powerful ice zanpaktous. She just did, and it was priceless.

Ignoring them, Renji reached for the door that led to the tunnel right off of the main frame. "Hmmm, doesn't appear to be damaged. Rukia, do you have a password, or am I doing this the old fashioned way?"

They shared a look.

"Shockahoe 31"

Having seen them use this technique in the world of the living, Toshiro gasped and threw Momo behind him as the door exploded.

"Rukia…I think we went a little over board."

"You think," coughed Toshiro sternly, helping Momo up. "You better have a good reason for this, you two. For all this talk of saving me, you just made Momo and me accomplices in high treason."

Renji sighed, "We-"

"No time, it can wait," interrupted Momo, hysterically, as she darted forward.

"I think Momo has the right idea. Now that I think about it…that door had an alarm on it," mused Rukia aloud.

The remaining three burst into a run.

"Out of curiosity, do you guys EVER think things through?" questioned Toshiro from the back of the line, intrigued, yet furious at the same time.

Meanwhile, Rangiku smiled, thrilled at her progress. She had formed the perfect idea for Momo's bachelorette party, and she couldn't wait to share it with her. While she had left the bachelor party plans up to Renji, she was walking over to her Captain's office to drop off the time it started on his desk.

Meanwhile, Ichigo was having his own issues. "Who are you?" was the best question the stunned shinigami was able to think of on the spot.

"Whoops didn't see you coming. Sorry, but I am not supposed to talk to people anymore," shrugged Nenshou.

Ichigo sighed. "Well, that's a shame. That would make this whole thing easier. I wouldn't have to fight you, then."

"How about we do neither," laughed the girl as she began to sprint away.

Ichigo shook his head and flash stepped after her. "HEY, STOP MIMICKING SENNA!"

Rangiku held back a scream and blended into the shadows as she saw the inside of the 10th's office. It was a disaster zone. "Haneiko," she whispered before stepping into the room.

She was the only one there.

Momo whipped around and burst into the already opened door that led into a large room. _What does he want exactly?_ She ran to the large computer, checking the screens around it. "I don't get it, nothing is broken…no one is here."

"Well nothing has blown up yet, so it's all good!" exclaimed Renji with obvious relief as the rest of them entered the chamber.

Toshiro crossed his arms in his normal stance. "YET, would someone please explain what is happening!"

"We don't know," said Rukia gravely. "That's the problem."

Rangiku sighed, _now what do I do?_ Sending a butterfly would take too long. She slapped herself in the head. Not everyone in the Sereitei had soul pagers, but she and Taicho did. She couldn't believe how long it had taken her to remember the fact.

Nenshou skidded to a stop; this kid was rash, but talented, at shunpo. She couldn't let her guard down.

As a black sword swung down to try and immobilize her feet, proving the point, she tensed up and back-flipped away.

"Enough running," sighed Ichigo, sword extended in an offensive position as the dust caused by the attack fizzled away.

Nenshou smiled as she felt her aura highten to its full potenitial in an instant and saw the boy's eyes widen in front of her. "Okay, I can use my strength now."

Momo's knees gave out.

"What do you mean?" stuttered Ichigo, narrowing his eyes and tightening his grip.

"It means that I am done with my assignment, so I have to go. If I were you, I wouldn't try and stop me."

Ichigo ran forward, "In your dreams!"

Rukia rushed over to Momo; the guys were right behind her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just got a little dizzy there for a second," said Momo and flinched as a spike of pain rammed through her head.

Toshiro gently forced her chin up and frowned.

"And…my headache's back," Momo conceded.

Toshiro frowned. "So is your fever."

"You're pushing yourself too hard," said Renji, rolling his eyes. "It's obvious."

Toshiro nodded in agreement, but was busy trying to help Momo, who was verbally firing back at Renji. It didn't help that the technique he was using took great concentration. Hands on her temples, the prodigy exhaled slowly, letting some of the coldness from Hyorinmaru trickle through his arms and onto her forehead. When there wasn't a thick rag around to use, this was the next best thing.

"Thanks Shiro"

"Just relax for awhile"

Momo wished she could, but she had to get to the bottom of what was happening to her. Unfortunately, the fatigue and the emerging migraine were making that difficult. "Sorry, but I can't. Rukia, what made you guys come here?"

"The twin stones"

Toshiro's mind instantly flashed back to that _one_ memory, and his heart fluttered. "What are those?"

"No one really knows," sighed Renji. "It's bad news guys."

The atmosphere had grown dark, and the sudden ringing of Toshiro's pager caused everyone to jump.

Then Rukia laughed. "Your ring tone is _Barbie Girl_?"

"Momo got ahold of it," defended Toshiro, his eyes challenging anyone to take it farther. No one took him up on it. "Who is…Rangiku, slowdown…WHAT! Are you alone? Orihime just showed up. NO, I AM NOT ASKING RENJI ABOUT THE BACHELOR PARTY RIGHT NOW! Okay hang on; I will call you back when I figure out what is happening," he continued, motioning for Renji to not stop his explanation.

Renji kept talking, lowering his voice slightly. "In theory, if they do exist, Momo, you might have one of the stones."

"Someone broke into my office, trashed it, and I don't know if they took anything." said Toshiro, slamming his phone shut and rejoining the group. "Whether Momo does or not, the ryoka seem to think so."

"Why would I have one of these?" stammered Momo.

Toshiro sighed. "Remember that one memory from your childhood? Quite possibly using that stone triggered or was the source of your spiritual pressure. It was like a catalyst." _Which would mean that you helping me was what got you into so much heartache over the years._ Toshiro tried to quell the quilt that had suddenly pooled up inside of him. There was other things to worry about, mainly Momo. He could slam his hand into a wall later.

"It makes sense, because the stones are rumored to be best with ki-"

"do users," finished Toshiro in a matter of fact tone.

Rukia rolled her eyes. "Do you always have to know _everything_?"

"Obviously, I don't Rukia, those intruders are still here, aren't they? The main thing we don't know is where the stones are RIGHT NOW." said Toshiro, frustration creeping into his voice.

"Does the intruder have any of them already?" questioned Renji, trying to calm Toshiro down.

"Well...according to the memory, Shizuka, didn't find it s-"

Toshiro started. "How do you know his name?" he probed urgently, dropping down to the floor so he could look into his fiancé's eyes.

"Hey, why does it matter?" sighed Renji.

"It's important," stated Toshiro firmly, looking hard at Renji.

"I don't know; I just know it," said Momo, shaking slightly.

Toshiro bit his lip. "Unless that is just a side-effect of his attack, it is safe to assume that he has one and that you have one somewhere."

Rukia's eyes widened. "Toshiro, if they have searched your office, then they must have or are searching yours too, Momo. Since you and Senna and you interrupted them last time, they will probably have to come back."

Renji smiled. "Good, that's where Ichigo's headed, so he can take care of anyone who is poking around."

Well, Ichigo was struggling at the moment. He clenched his teeth at the girl's offensive maneuver and shielded his eyes from the smoke. When he opened them, she had vanished. He let out a yell of anger into the air.

"We still need to go," groaned Toshiro. "We have to find the stone before they do."

"Hey intruder alert, intruder alert," screamed a voice from the hallway as sirens began going off like crazy.

Renji cursed under his breath.

"Wow, took them long enough. You know, if our security didn't suck, maybe we wouldn't have as many intruders to worry about," observed Momo neutrally.

Toshiro grabbed her hand. "We don't have time to be arrested. We have to go, NOW!"

"Go, Rukia and I will stay. We can take the blame and look around some more," argued Renji.

Momo opened her mouth.

"He's right," confirmed Rukia. "We'll be fine. We will get out; we will just give the soutaicho the absolute basics."

"Thank you" Momo glanced at her best friend as she masked their spiritual presence and as Toshiro pulled her into his arms and ran for the exit.

"You ready?" asked Renji softly as he drew his katana. "I'll distract them; you look around."

"Yeah"

Rukia blew up all of the security cameras that surrounded them.

Her childhood friend thought about that one other time the raven haired woman was forced into a cell and buried the urge to grab Rukia's hand and never let go. "I won't let them separate us."

"Thank you, you two have completed your missions very well. The stone is somewhere on Momo Hinamori herself," smiled Shizuka. They were bent over, hidden in the shadows of the outer wall.

"So how do we get capture her? I don't think she will be left alone, after the action we just started," stated Mizuro calmly.

Nenshou laughed. "That was the point. We wanted to scare them a little." She glanced at Shizuka; he hadn't told them why they were supposed to make a bigger mess than usual today. She was just guessing.

"Exactly, we wanted to get their emotions high. The rest of our strategy is easy. Simply, we will get what need by turning everything Momo Hinamori holds dear against her."

-Hinakyrie

Okay, I apologize again for taking so long. This chapter included some MAJOR writers block. Please give me your feedback and ideas; I need some motivation. Thanks for your support; you're the best!


	13. Are You Serious?

Are You Serious?

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own Bleach!

"Now what?"

Toshiro pushed his lips together. "We are heading to the 10th."

"What about m-"

"Ichigo's there, remember."

Momo felt herself relaxing. Ichigo could handle just about anything. "Right, I can walk you know."

"Oh yeah, sorry" Toshiro stopped to gently set Momo down.

Momo gulped; her heart rate was about where it should be again. "I know this is really confusing. We'll figure it out," she promised Toshiro, glancing at his clenched fists.

"What makes you think I am worried?" _I'm not worried; I'm terrified, _thought Toshiro to himself, doing his best not to look as high-strung as he felt.

Momo raised an eyebrow. _I know when you are trying to keep all the pain to yourself. _"You can't lie to me."

"Like I said you can't lie. Tell me the truth!" snapped the head-captain to the two subordinates who were kneeling in front of him. He was really tired of getting woken up from his naps, especially for a disaster like this. The room holding the main frame was an absolute _mess_. And to top it off, in 3 ½ days there was going to be a wedding. If he didn't get some time to sleep and fill up on some patience, he was going to be setting everything he saw on fire, including these two youngsters.

Renji glanced at the stealth force guards behind them. The expression on Soi Fong's face was unreadable.

"We aren't trying to lie to you," groaned Rukia.

"We need to talk to you, alone," hissed Renji.

Captain Yamamoto considered his options. "Is Ichigo involved?"

"Um…is that a trick question, Sir?" asked Renji hesitantly.

"No"

Renji and Rukia looked at each other.

"Yes"

"In that case, talk to me about it later. Captain Soi Fong, put them in the detention center together until farther notice."

"Wait a minute! This is important!" cried Rukia.

Her Superior strode purposely forward, knelt down, searched her face, and slapped her. Rukia instantly put her hand up and cupped her cheek.

"HEY WITH ALL DUE RESPECT SIR, IT WAS MY IDEA NOT HERS!" shouted Renji angrily, trying to break away from the guard holding him "LET ME GO".

"You guys are resourceful. Break out or have someone come and get you out and meet me here tonight," whispered Captain Yamamoto, using Renji's obnoxious yelling for cover.

Aloud he shouted. "THAT'S NOT THE ISSUE. IT IS ABOUT RESPECT YOUNG ONE! Captain Soi Fong, get them out of my sight!"

"Rangiku, we've been here the whole time. Don't let anyone tell you any different," called out Momo as her and Toshiro burst into the 10th. Then they froze. Rangiku was standing over a stealth force agent, sword out, agent unconscious.

"Well this complicates things," stated Toshiro neutrally.

"I've got the rope." called Orihime rushing out of the kitchen area.

Rangiku glanced up at the newcomers. "Orihime filled me in. I am guessing this is about the twin stones."

"Probably," sighed Ichigo appearing in the window. "Are you guys alright?"

_Why is it that people are always making their entrances through windows,_ wondered Momo randomly as her head started to spin.

"Well, we look better than you do," said Toshiro. "What happened?"

"I lost," grumbled Ichigo angrily.

"Wait, the undefeatable Ichigo…the main character actually lost a battle," griped Rangiku, surprised.

"Oh shut up! Wait…Rukia and Renji aren't back yet?" asked Ichigo, eager for a subject change.

"Sorry Ichigo, they are probably in a prison cell right now," whispered Momo.

"AND WHY THE HELL IS THAT?" snapped Ichigo, punching a hole in the wall.

The girls flinched.

"Smashing up my office some more Ichigo isn't going to help," hissed Toshiro. However, he could not really blame the carrot-top. Toshiro wanted to punch something right now too.

"THAT IDIOT! He makes me want to smash something," yelled Renji punching the bars.

Despite their weird predicament, Rukia could not help but smile at her impatient friend. "Would you calm down a second Bakka!" she sighed, placing a hand on Renji's shoulder. She opened her other hand to reveal a hell butterfly.

"Um…how"

"The only reason Yamamoto slapped me was to give me the butterfly."

Renji glared at her. "That didn't mean he had to leave a bruise on your face."

Rukia was glad the room was starting to get dark; hopefully it was hiding her blush. "Yeah, I don't know exactly what he is trying to do either."

Several moments of silence passed as Renji started pacing around the room.

Very quickly, Rukia decided she could not deal with the constant pacing. "Guess we ought to send this to Hitsugaya Taicho; he'll know what to do."

"I thought the whole point of this mess was to avoid him and Momo from getting involved," the red head stated, totally confused.

"I think that is why Captain Yamamoto wants us to wait until tonight to try and talk to us. Partly, he is trying to buy them time. Toshiro will probably send Ichigo or Orihime anyway, so it should not be a problem."

Meanwhile, Ichigo's little bit of patience was gone. He wanted to do something, _now_. "Ichigo, before you take off and get yourself into trouble, did you see anything missing from my division?" asked Momo, hoping Ichigo would shimmer down. She glanced at Orihime, but she seemed fine.

"Not that I know of, but I don't know exactly what's in there either," concluded Ichigo.

Rangiku blew a loose bang away from her face. "Before we start searching for it, what should we do with this stealth guard agent?" As he began to stir, Rangiku kicked him in the face.

"I've been thinking about that." The white haired Taicho said suddenly. "Rangiku, give him some of that new forgetful dust and drop him off in the 11th. People have been scouting that place anyway, so it won't be suspicious. Just watch yourself!"

"On it, I'll go wake up Senna and Hanaterou too. We'll need them."

"And don't forget to send Uryuu back to the library. He might find out more," added Ichigo.

"You know," thought Toshiro aloud. "Sometimes you actually have stokes of genius."

Ichigo just started. "Well…that was hurtful."

Ignoring the sparing boys, Orihime wrapped some hair around her index finger. "Should I go too? Wait…Ichigo, you're hurt!"

"It's not bad." _However, with all of the weird stuff going on, I would rather have her close by._ "But, would you mind healing me anyway?"

Orihime smiled. "Of course not"

She glared at Momo. "And how are you feeling, really?"

"Tired" the captain grudgingly admitted. "The headache was back, but Toshiro got rid of most of it."

"I'll look at you next." Her tone foreshadowed that there would be no arguments.

Momo smiled.

Then she frowned as a butterfly entered the room.

Rukia shivered and fought the urge to yawn.

"Here," whispered Renji, sliding his haori on the woman's shoulders. "It's been hours. It should not be much longer."

"Hopefully… if they are smart, they will find the stones before they worry about us."

"Don't talk like that!" soothed Renji, crunching his eyebrows together. That had come out harsher than he had intended. However, he could not help worrying about her. While Rukia had started off chipper, she had slowly started to sink into depression as the day wore on. Last time she was like this she had stopped eating entirely. "Look at me."

Rukia heard the rustle of his uniform as he kneeled in front of her. Slowly, she plastered on a fake smile and peered up at Renji. While the woman was a tomboy, stubborn, and delegated to her work, distant memories of being in jail on death row were floating to the surface while spending time in the cell. They were not easy to bear, and she still had issues bothering others with her problems…even now.

"Drop the act. It's this simple. If I can't give up, you can't give up. Do you understand?" The intensity in Renji's eyes was radiating.

"What act?"

"Rukia" his voice was softer. "What do Ichigo and I have to do to convince you that we want to help? We fight to protect the people we care about, including you."

"Okay, I won't give up."

"That's more like it. I'm tired of waiting for the carrot-top. You ready to break out of here?"

"And what do you mean exactly by carrot-top. Isn't that a mean thing to say to someone who is trying to save you?"

"Epic timing as always," laughed Rukia as Ichigo and Orihime appeared in front of the bars. "But who says we need saving? Ready Renji?"

He nodded.

In a very similar fashion to Toshiro, Ichigo flung himself and Orihime out of the way.

As the dust cleared, Ichigo glared at his friends and helped Orihime up. "Don't you think that was a _bit_ drastic?"

"I can't believe that just came out of your mouth! You are the one who usually goes over the top."

Ichigo started grumbling under his breath.

Momo was frustrated.

Hours of searching and there was nothing to show for it. "I don't even remember ever having a stone, especially one that glows."

"We'll figure it out, don't worry," soothed Senna.

"Time for a coffee break," urged Rangiku, plopping herself down in a chair. She was still banned from the sake.

"How about we call it quits for now," said Toshiro. "Obviously this isn't working. I can walk you home Momo. We can regroup at the bachelor/bachelorette parties. Let's keep each other posted."

_Of course, he even has to take the fun out of the parties,_ sighed Rangiku.

"Sounds good," said Hanaterou.

"Okay, let's break."

"Well, that actually took longer than I expected," grumbled Captain Yamamoto to his surprise visitors.

"Well, if you would have listened to them and had NOT locked them up, you would have learned the following information sooner. People are trying to take over the Soul Society…we think," said Ichigo.

The soutaicho frowned. "Please tell me you have more than that. Things are always trying to take over Soul Society. If someone isn't, something's _wrong. _For crying out loud, we just got done remodeling after the war, and look how many new downed buildings we have already." Everyone avoided looking at Ichigo, considering all of the damage happened after _his_ arrival, _again_.

As Ichigo opened his mouth to argue, Rukia placed a hand on his shoulders. "We do have more information Sir. It has to do with the twin stones."

Captain Yamamoto actually managed to look surprised.

"Apparently you've heard of them, so I will keep it simple. The intruders have one and…someone else…has one."

"So Captain Hinamori for some reason has the other one," stated the commander, filling in the blanks. He had heard of the mysterious stones. He knew what their supposed powers were. He knew what danger they could be in. "Maybe I should question her or cancel the wedding."

_Shit_, thought Renji.

Ichigo instinctually reached for Zangetsu.

The girls both took a deep breath, escape plans running through their minds. Momo had been through so much, there was no way they were going to let her be questioned or have the best day of her life ruined.

"Or, I could trust you guys to handle it. You usually do anyway. I can let you go now, and just say I want you observed from a sizable distance for the time being."

Orihime smiled. "I like that option. Can we take a vote?"

"Young one, this is not a democracy!" snapped Yamamoto.

Renji muttered under his breath, "Maybe it should be."

"But," continued the soutaicho. "I guess we can make an exception."

"Thank you Commander!" exclaimed Rukia.

"What are you guys still doing here?"

"Thanks Old Man!" yelled Ichigo as the group fled the room.

Captain Yamamoto just shook his head. He really had been the one to come out on top. He had learned valuable information. Also, he was giving Ichigo's group the loose rein they needed to operate. Considering the stealth corps would be loosely tailing them, some of his most resourceful shinigami had backup if they ran into trouble. If they were the ones causing trouble, the stealth force could detain and/or arrest them. Yamamoto smiled. "I love win-win situations."

Rukia was ecstatic to get away from there.

"Told you it would be fine," laughed Renji. "Now I can go take a quick nap to get my thoughts together and then w-"

"Hold it," said Rukia. "You can't nap; you have a bachelor party to plan, remember?"

Everyone started laughing.

Renji looked devastated.

-hinakyrie

Who hoo, finally got one done! Sorry again for the late update! Not much happened in this chapter, but I needed it for flow reasons. Next one will be more intense. It's time to party!


	14. Tonight We're Going Hard

Tonight We're Going Hard, Just Like the World is Ours

Disclaimer: Own nothing, not Kesha or Bleach

"And why are we going this way again?" asked Toshiro for the millionth time, his stomach sinking. He, Renji, and Ichigo had been walking this direction for awhile now; the Sereitei had just vanished and the sun had set. Unfortunately, Toshiro had a pretty good idea of where the group was headed. Rangiku had gotten into documented trouble around this area, which meant there was a _bunch _of bars around. Toshiro was sure Renji was planning on hitting all of them tonight.

_It is going to be SO much fun!_

_Shiro-chan,_ pointed out Hyorinmaru. _I am detecting a bit of sarcasm._

_Hyorinmaru…URUSAI!_

"Calm down," sighed Renji, haori flowing loosely in the wind, easily reading into Toshiro's silence and facial expressions. "You are giving me a headache and the party hasn't even started yet!"

Toshiro scowled. _Whoever invented bachelor parties was out of their minds! It is just an excuse to get completely drunk._ However…his mind flashed back to a few hours earlier.

"Can…I talk to you, sir?" Senna had asked him, attempting to look inconspicuous. Rangiku was busy shoving Momo out the door. Rangiku wanted to decorate, and Momo had business to take care of at her division anyway.

The bags under Senna's eyes showed the little amount of sleep she had gotten the night before. Toshiro sighed. As free-spirited as Senna was, he still felt responsible for the spaz. "Of course"

Senna stood there awkwardly, twirling her hair ribbon. But this time, it was not the gentle, usual pulling. Her motions were harsh and uncoordinated.

"What's wrong?"

"Momo…Taicho was muttering in her sleep."

"What did she say?"

"When fire meets water, the earth collides."

Toshiro's heart stopped.

"Love can be poison…or it can… Shiro…I don't want to die!" Teardrops misted the corners of the young lieutenant's eyes. Toshiro knew how much Senna admired her captain.

He tried to remind himself how to breathe as he placed a hand on Senna's shoulder. "Don't worry; I am not going to let anything happen to her.

"I know."

Tell me if you she mutters something else like that again. She needs you to be strong as well, so take care of yourself."

Conclusively, Toshiro was just hoping Senna, Rangiku, and everyone else got some time to relax and have fun tonight too.

_Snap out of it! Now is not the time_, his dragon reminded harshly, whipping Toshiro back to the present.

"Anyway, we have to have it out here because the girls have dibs on your place considering…well…Momo's division is in no shape to host a large party," reminded Ichigo, not noticing Toshiro's momentary lack of attention.

Plus, everyone felt safer having Momo in the walls of Sereitei, not that any of them had _told_ her that. _It wouldn't hurt for you to get away from everything for a bit anyway. You need to relax and enjoy your wedding Toshiro, _thought Ichigo.

He wasn't the only one concerned. Renji glanced at his fellow captain. There had been no new updates on the stone, and Yumichika was still deep in the coma. Toshiro deserved a night out, and Renji was determined to force him to have a good time, even if he had to gag him and tie him to a chair.

Rangiku felt the same way about cheering Momo up, but she didn't plan on using rope and a gag to make it happen.

"You can open your eyes now. What do you think?" asked the maid of honor eagerly. Rangiku had spent several hours getting ready, and she could not wait to get the party started!

The shining blue kimono Momo was wearing crinkled and swayed as the young woman blinked and opened her eyes.

Her jaw dropped.

Toshiro's office looked like it was a whole different world! Blue and purple tulle hung loosely from the ceiling. Sparkling fireballs, caused from kido combinations, glowed in the corners. Mostly importantly, all of her main female friends—Rukia, Rangiku, Orihime, Senna, Captain Unohana, Soi Fong, Nanoe, all of the other lieutenants, and a few close friends in her squad—were dressed up and sprawled out comfortably all over the room.

She heard the click of Orihime's camera.

"This is amazing, Rangiku. You really outdid yourself this time!" Momo laughed. She couldn't think of any adequate words to describe how she was feeling.

"All right Orihime! Turn it up!" Rangiku yelled happily in response. The sound of the bass made the walls shake.

"Let's party!" screamed Senna, hyper as always, troubles floating to the back of her mind.

Rukia buried the urge to smack her forehead. While tonight was a nice change of pace, she had been to enough of Rangiku's parties to know how crazy it would get. _Well, I guess the faster they get drunk, the faster I can sneak out of here._

The maid of honor grinned evilly; everything was going according to plan.

Get Momo distracted.

Check.

As Renji glanced around the dusty room, he could not help but kick himself for not sitting down and forming an itinerary or something ahead of time. He really should have made a checklist.

This was chaos.

The place was packed, filled with friends and colleagues of Toshiro's. Apparently some of the guys had started drinking hours ago and were totally out of it already. Renji had already made the executive decision that the guys were in no condition to bar hop. Hisagi and Kira were trying to sing a duet. Kenpachi was busy yelling battle cries at a table.

People were placing bets on how long until the table's death.

Shunsui's eyes were dilated, and he was busy hitting on a pretty bar attendant. Renji mentally reminded himself not to let word of it slip to Nanao.

And Toshiro, arms folded, sat in a corner.

"Hey, at least try to enjoy it!" said Renji gruffly as he sat down and slid a foaming beer to the young man.

Iba saw the exchange from a couple of tables away and laughed. "Are you even legal kid?"

The glare from Toshiro silenced Iba instantly. Then, Toshiro glanced apologetically at Renji. "Sorry, it just is not my thing."

Shunsui smiled, quickly figuring out the situation even though he had kicked back a few. "Relax," he called out from the bar. "She'll be fine. It's your party; tonight's an exception to the rules. Anyway, I know you've had one before."

"When," asked Ichigo with interest, as he strode over, still completely sober.

"Right before I proposed." sighed Toshiro in defeat as he took a sip. It burned, but it actually felt pleasant.

"I gave him the sake to help him calm his nerves." called Shunsui, giving a thumbs up.

"Figures," whispered Renji.

Toshiro smiled at Renji's comment and took another large swig. It went down better than the first one…so did the third one.

Shunsui laughed at the young captain's expression. Nobody else, even though they were tempted, had the guts. "Before you have too much and forget everything, I just want to give you some advice from a crazy old man. Don't go to bed angry at each other!" He instantly went back to flirting with the bartender.

Toshiro was not sure if his cheeks were red because of the sweet comment or the booze.

Momo's cheeks were scarlet mostly from the wine. She had not planned on drinking at all, but the girls had kept nagging her about it.

Orihime had told her in the world of the living that was considered peer pressure.

Also, according to Orihime, the article of clothing she was holding up was another common thing in the world of the living. All the girls had stopped what they were doing to gawk. It was blue, silk, and lacy.

Rangiku had called it lingerie.

CRASH!

Renji whipped around, but then just put his head in his hands.

Ichigo cocked his head and frowned. "Shoot, I thought the table would last for at least another five minutes."

"Someone owes up!" yelled Hanaterou with excitement. He did not win at gambling very often.

"Yeah, yeah," muttered Ichigo digging deep into his pockets. "Does anyone want to take Kenpachi's sword away from him?" he asked to no one in particular. Someone had to, and he was not about to volunteer.

"I'll do it," said Toshiro, a weird buzzing in his ears as he asked for another drink.

Ganju walked over as tiny wisps of blue started swirling around Toshiro and placed a dollar on the table. "I think you'll take him out in two hits."

Renji and Ichigo looked at each other. "ABSOLUTELY NOT! MOMO WILL NOT WANT YOU BEAT UP ON YOUR WEDDING DAY!"

Kira waltzed over, still belting out tenor. "Ain't no river wide enough to keep me from getting to you baby!"

"SHUT UP"

"Bu-"

"GO PLAY POKER OR SOMETHING, GANJU!"

Ichigo started scratching his head. "Why are you even here, Ganju? You don't even know Toshiro."

"True, but a party is a party."

Renji smacked his forehead. You really couldn't argue with that.

Toshiro sighed, mind drifting to Momo. "I guess I can let someone else handle it."

Ichigo and Renji sighed in relief and looked at each other. "Want to play rock, paper, scissors to decide?" asked Ichigo, buying time.

_Oh, where did I go wrong?"_ thought Renji sadly. Aloud he said, "Sure".

"You're glowing," smiled Captain Unohana to Momo. Compared to the guys, the craziness of Rangiku's party seemed civil. Yes, the music was loud and most of the people present were awing over the gifts or dancing on tables, but no one had passed out yet.

Then again, Nanoe had actually taken off her glasses and was letting her hair down, literally, which meant the world had finally come to an end.

"Really?"

"Yes, you are," said the older, wiser captain simply.

Thinking about the memory with the twin stone, Momo glanced around worriedly. Thankfully her aura was still normal and not oozing out as purple smoke.

Seeming to read her thoughts, Captain Unohana placed a gentle hand on Momo's shoulders. "I mean joy. You're shining. You seem so happy." _It's a nice change._

"Thank you Captain," smiled the bride-to-be. She thought about the last few days, about how fierce Toshiro had always been about protecting her. She thought about how much she loved his eyes, the way he tried to be angry but would let a corner of his lip turn up, and how he had a secret fascination with carrots…and watermelons. "I am really happy."

"You are a lucky girl," called Unohana over her shoulder as she went to talk to Soi Fong.

Momo looked at Rangiku, who was relaxing by the window, sake in hand. "I know," the captain whispered.

_Why does it still hurt so much?_ Rangiku wondered.

"Are you okay?" asked Momo

"Of course I am!" yelled Rangiku, jumping a foot, plastering on a fake smile.

Momo shook her head, "If you are upset, you do not have to hide it."

_Yes, I do,_ thought Rangiku. "I know."

Momo narrowed her eyes. "Okay…then…let's see who can down a beer the quickest!"

"Are…you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be?"

"Well…okay if you're sure." Rangiku was shocked. _She really thinks she can challenge the master? Maybe I should shut her off when she is behind…_

_NAH_

Meanwhile…

"Ichigo, I'm going to kill you!" snapped Renji.


	15. Lights out

Chapter 15: Lights Out

Disclaimer: I own none of this, Bleach or Kesha

The carrot-top just smirked. "I'd like to see you try. It's not my fault you suck at rock, paper, scissors."

The bartender was shaking out of rage and _fear_. As annoyed as he was, he did not want to anger his guests. There were some pretty high ranking officers in his bar. Granted, most of them were completely drunk and would not remember what had happened to them in the morning. All the same, the bartender was not stupid. He preferred life. "Just please keep the fighting to a minimum."

"Of course we will," said Renji innocently as he used a napkin to staunch the flow of blood coming from his right arm. A knocked out Kenpachi and about ¼ of the ceiling was surrounding him. Inside, Renji cringed as he looked at all the destruction.

"Starting…now." He pointed at Toshiro, who had a pink lampshade on his head. "All of the charges go on his tab."

"The 10th division's?"

"Yeah"

The bartender felt sweat begin to form on his face. "That's Rangiku's squad, isn't it?"

"Yeah"

"In other words…I'm never getting paid for this am I?"

Renji shrugged.

Ichigo frowned. "Renji, that's a little harsh. You are the best man aren't you?"

"Just because I had to plan the party doesn't mean I have to pay for it. Rangiku never said anything about that!" Renji mumbled.

"Well, I think everyone is supposed to split the bill and the responsibilities and stuff," said Ichigo absently. "Unfortunately, there are not many sane people left to split the tab with."

"I am sure you will figure out something." called Renji as he began walking out the door.

"Huh…what do you mean?" asked Ichigo, snapping his neck around and starting to panic.

Renji smirked in triumph. "You just said we should share the responsibilities. I'll be back in 3 hours."

"ARE YOU SERIOUS? Renji…RENJI…come back!" screamed Ichigo. "YOU JERK!"

"Seriously, you jerk, wake up," sighed Ikkau to the still sound asleep Yumichika. "I am missing a party because of this."

Maybe it was an illusion, but Ikkau could have sworn his friend smiled at him.

Despite herself, Rukia was actually having a good time. Her one long bang kept flying back and forth as her head bounced to the beat.

"…Let's go! Tonight wer're going ha…ha…ha…ha…hard!" blasted over the speakers.

"This is so much fun," laughed Orihime, swinging her hips.

The two friends leaned in together and belted it, "WE ARE WHO WE ARE!"

As Rukia leaned out, a flash in the window caught her eye. Keeping her voice steady, she glanced at Orihime. "This is great, but I need to stop and grab a drink. I'll be back in a little bit, okay!"

"Sounds good"

Ichigo was exhausted. Keeping track of drunk guys was _hard_.

He did a quick check on Hanaterou; the lightweight was still breathing.

Ichigo looked at the groom-to-be. "Toshiro, don't you think you should get off the table?"

"But that's no fun," slurred Kenpachi from his position on the ground.

"If you're not going to help, just shut up!" sighed Ichigo.

Toshiro glared. Then the alcohol turned into pout. It was actually really cute.

"You sure you don't want a drink?" questioned the bar attendant.

Kira was trying to play pin the tail on the donkey. Hisagi was the donkey, and the pin was a fork.

Ichigo broke down. "Make it a double. Renji owes me big time for this."

Meanwhile, Ichigo's source of annoyance was comfortably sprawled out on the roof.

"Aren't you supposed to be somewhere else?" asked Rukia suddenly, sneaking up beside him. Renji couldn't help but stare. In the starlight, Rukia's black dress, with the blood-red ribbons across her waist and in her hair, looked spectacular.

"Nah, Ichigo is taking care of it," smiled Renji. _I am in just the right spot._

Rukia blinked. "Well…that's a disaster waiting to happen."

"Hmph, I think Mr. high and mighty can handle it," sighed Renji. "I'm on break."

Rukia sat, well graceful toppled, down beside him, still wondering if everything would be alright.

"Looks like you have been having some fun," laughed Renji tilting an eyebrow. "With the music this high, it's amazing you can hear anything."

"I know," said Rukia, tilting herself back to look at the stars. Her ears were still throbbing, but the night had actually turned out really enjoyable.

As crazy as his night had been, Renji was feeling the same way. It was fun to see everyone finally relax and let themselves go, _especially_ Toshiro.

"What is it?" Rukia asked him suddenly, and a tad harshly.

"Nothing, I am just thinking."

The raven-haired girl propped her elbow up, "About what?"

Renji got a suspicious twinkle in his eye, "About how I haven't kidnapped you yet like I promised."

"You wouldn't," threatened Rukia, stiffening up.

"Watch me!" he laughed, scooping up a protesting Rukia, and began fast stepping away.

In the brisk air, Rukia gave in and snuggled closer for warmth. "You know what this reminds me of?"

Renji thought of the other time he had ran with her in his arms, rushing to save her live. He held her tighter. "What?"

"The fun times we had when we were younger."

"We did have some fun."

Rukia smirked, tomboy personality quickly coming back. "We can still have fun, you bakka."

Renji laughed and actually dared to give Rukia a kiss on the head. He sighed with relief when she did not hit him for it. "I know."

A couple hours later, Rangiku smiled as she entered the 5th division, Momo sound asleep in her arms. Obviously, Momo had lost the beer chugging contest. However, Rangiku was expecting a whopping headache later.

"You look gorgeous," whispered the lieutenant as she set her charge gently in the futon.

As she turned to leave, Momo unconsciously grabbed her arm. "We…move now!" she said in her sleep.

Rangiku sighed. Of course, the peace of the night would not last. "Where are we moving to?" she prodded.

"10th division"

Rangiku screamed for Momo's third seat.

"You're heavier than you look," snapped Ichigo to the form sprawled on his back.

"Am…not" slurred Toshiro to his carrier.

Ichigo rolled his eyes. _Only one more division to go. _He, considering Renji had ditched him, had made the executive decision to just let everyone else in the bar sleep it off. Also, as the hours had passed, he had come to realize why Renji had ditched him. Conclusively, he really could not blame the guy.

Ichigo narrowed his eyes as he suddenly felt a familiar, out of control spiritual pressure. "Orihime!" he called, rushing forward.

"Yeah," she called innocently, coming around the corner. Her face was flushed, and the yellow sundress flittered in the slight breeze.

"Are you alright?" Ichigo asked innocently, glad to see she did not appear hurt.

Orihime hiccupped. "Perfect"

"Sure you are," he said, finally realizing why her reiatsu was so weird. "How many did you have?"

Orihime shrugged. She had lost count. "A few"

"Where is everyone else?" Ichigo asked, sincerely hoping there were not a bunch of tipsy girls running around the city.

"All still at Toshiro's. Rangiku took Momo home a little bit ago."

"Okay, that's good." He sighed in relief. "Why are _you_ out here?"

"Um…I was going to the 4th and help Unohana," Orihime replied.

Very confused, Ichigo gently grabbed Orihime's arm to get her to start walking in the opposite direction. "When did you agree to do this?"

"Today"

Ichigo laughed. "You can wait a few hours. I am sure Unohana is busy making sure the girl's okay anyway. We can dump this lug off."

Toshiro tried and failed to protest.

"Then we can crash at Renji's for awhile."

"Renji's?" Orihime questioned.

"Yeah, he owes me one."

"Ichigo"

"Yeah"

"You look good."

Ichigo blinked at Orihime's random comment. "I wear this all the time. It's the standard uniform."

"Well, I am just saying I like it." Orihime pouted.

As she started to trip, Ichigo quickly readjusted Toshiro and grabbed her hand. "Careful…thank you Orihime. You look pretty spectacular too."

Meanwhile, Rukia gazed up at the rising sun. Renji was busy training, in a sense. "We should probably get back. You _really _should make sure no one died from alcohol poisoning."

Renji finished off the hollow he was on and scratched his head. "What a pain. You're probably right."

Rukia leaned back and took in one more breath of fresh air.

Renji smiled contently at her. The way she was sitting reminded him of when they were younger. "Are you coming down, or do I have to come get you?"

"I can handle it," Rukia smirked. However part of her skirt got caught as she hopped down throwing her off-balance.

Expecting hard contact with the ground, Rukia blinked in surprise when she felt none and found herself staring into Renji's face.

Renji rolled his eyes at her amazement. "You didn't think I was about to let you fall, did you?"

"Stupid dress" she mumbled in reply.

Hinakyrie

Sorry, stuff keeps happening that has been putting this really behind schedule! Hopefully I can get the next ones out sooner.


	16. Sober Up

Chapter 16: Sober Up

Disclaimer: Again, don't own Bleach. Wish I did; it would be fun!

Ikkau blinked at the rays of sun shining through the window and hitting his face. As his eyes finally adjusted, Ikkau realized Captain Unohana was leaning over Yumichika, checking for signs of fever.

Hearing Ikkau stand up and yawn, Captain Unohana glanced over apologetically. "I am sorry Madarame. I did not mean to wake you up. I was just making the rounds, since Hanaterou is not back yet."

"It's okay Captain. I needed to get up anyway. How is the patient?"

She smiled. "Better, he should be up at any moment."

Ikkau hid his sigh of relief. Well, he _did_ belong to the thirteenth squad after all. "Guess I don't get to plan his funeral this time."

"You got that right, thank goodness. If you were in charge, it would just be ugly and depressing." said a weak voice from the bed.

"And what gives you that idea?" Ikkau replied with a smile.

Meanwhile, Ichigo stepped through what used to be Renji's door. "Renji, Bakka, are you back yet?" he yelled.

Nothing

As Orihime flinched beside him, Ichigo frowned, gently grabbed her hand, and helped her through the opening. Her alcohol intake had not helped her coordination any. "Looks like they are still out"

"They"

"Renji is probably with Rukia. Lay down and I'll get you some water. You don't look so good right now."

"Don't worry about me, really, I'm fine," Orihime protested weakly, hands up, head shaking back and forth. She flinched again as the world started to spin. _Did I really have that many?_

Ichigo ran his hands through his hair. "You're worse than Rukia. Let me help. Now sit down before you pass out."

Back at the tenth, passing out was sounding pretty good to Toshiro. Ichigo had dropped Toshiro off with his third seat, Kan, and, like normal, Rangiku was nowhere around. A few minutes after Kan's arrival, Toshiro had sent him away, ordering the officer to make sure the guests that were still sleeping were comfortable and eventually ended up in their own divisions.

Toshiro would have done the job himself, but he was in condition to treat hangovers or to chauffeur. Instead, Toshiro had retired to his bedroom. The captain felt awful. His head was on fire. It was _humiliating_, worse almost than being in the fourth division. He could hardly move. Light hurt. Slowly he sat up and reached over for a glass of water. His reflection glanced off of the mirror hung up on the other side of the room, and it was horrific. While his hair had never been tidy, this was absolute chaos. His pupils were bloodshot; his skin was pale; and he had bags under his eyes.

Hyorinmaru started laughing. _You have extremely low tolerance, young one. Your internal world is a mess._

_Shut up Hyorinmaru, _Toshiro groaned. _That hurts!_

_Well, I'm not having loads of fun either_, said Hyorinmaru haughtily.

Toshiro didn't even reply.

As Rangiku passed the buildings in the 7th squad, she was close to hysterics. The lieutenant had tried calling several people, but they were not picking up. She had even sent a butterfly to her taicho. Rangiku groaned and rubbed her hand against her forehead. While she had years of experience in the area, she still hated hangovers.

The third seat, Chai, sat there at the fifth, arm in a sling, watching over his taicho. Sweat was rolling down her face, and her breathing was harsh. He placed a washcloth on her head. "You are going to be okay. You have made it through worse than this." In the squad's eyes, Captain Momo's supposed weakness had always been her strength.

Unfortunately, Momo was too far away to hear any word of encouragement. Lightening pounded. Her hair was soaked as she treaded water. "Toshiro," she gasped, trying not to choke. "Water"

"I'll go get you some," said Chai as he stood up to leave, not even thinking about calling a replacement first. Still, Momo was too lost in her dreams to hear him.

The sky swirled overhead. Toshiro didn't answer. _Something is wrong. He always answers. Even last time he was here, well…at least sorta._ As Momo heard footsteps, she turned towards the shore. She swallowed her disappointment when it wasn't Toshiro. It was Shizuka. He looked angry and even a tad sad.

"It's over; it's finally going to be over." He whispered and began to walk away.

"Wait," Momo called, kicking as hard as she could. Suddenly she felt herself burst out of the water and end up on dry land. As she bent over choking, she noticed the tiles appear beneath. She looked up and saw Shizuka's backside. He was reaching his hand out towards the doorknob in front of him. She knew the place instantly, and felt herself wrench out of her sleep, her heart pounding painfully in her chest.

Toshiro felt the strange spiritual pressure in the room.

Groaning, he forced himself to turn towards the door. The outline was fuzzy, but the figure standing in front of him was striking. He had piercing, gold-flecked eyes and raven hair. Having never seen him before, Toshiro automatically tensed, mentally thinking if he could make it to Hyorinmaru, which was setting several feet away on the dresser in time. Toshiro knew better than trying to do kido at the moment; his body would not be able to handle it.

Something however, besides the hangover, stopped Toshiro from going for the sword instantly. The stranger's reiatsu almost seemed familiar.

"Who are you?" the captain whispered, sitting up.

The intruder smiled.

Meanwhile, dropping the glass of water on the ground, Momo's third seat screamed out her name. The futon Chai had left her in moments ago was empty.

"You know who I am," the stranger smirked to Toshiro. "You've seen me."

"What do you mean…wait, you are the guy I saw when I looked out the window a few days ago."

"Yes…but I am more than that." Shizuka confirmed.

Shizuka tossed around a ruby. The ruby also looked familiar, but Toshiro could not quite place it. Toshiro put it to the back of his mind and focused more on figuring out who Shizuka was. Toshiro gritted his teeth. "You are the one who has been HURTING Momo, aren't you?" His spiritual pressure increased exponentially.

"Yeah" said Shizuka, seeming unimpressed.

Adrenaline rushing through him, Toshiro jumped out of bed and flash-stepped towards Hyorinmaru. Picking up him up, he spun around, and fought down the wave of nausea.

Shizuka was striding out the door.

"Come back here!" the captain of ice shouted, rushing after him.

_Bakka, don't go; it's a trap!_

_I know…but let's face it; it is the only lead we have!_

Plus, Toshiro was mad and feeling a little rebellious.

_Stupid alcohol_, Hyorinmaru muttered in surrender, knowing there was no stopping Toshiro at this point.

Ikkau hit Yumichika on the head. Captain Unohana had just given him a quick checkup and had gone to grant the rest of Momo's squad members in the hospital permission to go back to the fifth. "Took you long enough! Are you trying to miss the wedding? It is in two days."

"Your voice is just as grating as it was last night. Of course I am not going to miss the wedding, why do you think I woke up?"

"Why y-"

"Yell at me later; there's more."

"Spectacular"

"The book I was looking at when I was attacked, about the twin stones. Did you know the-"

"We know about them. That is what the intruders are after. Captain Hitsugaya told me when he popped in yesterday for a couple of minutes before Renji and Ichigo dragged him away to his bachelor party."

"They had to drag him?"

"Yeah, literally"

"Intriguing, but that's not our main concern at the moment. Who has the stones right now?"

"We believe Captain Hinamori has one and the ryoka has the other."

"What do you mean believe?"

"Momo has not been able to find it."

"No, that does not make sense. The book said it should be near its owner at all times. Captain Hinamori would know."

"Where does it say that?" asked Hanaterou suddenly, coming into the room.

"When did you get here?" said Ikkau in confusion.

"I got here just a second ago. I did not mean to eavesdrop on your conversation. I met Taicho in the hall, and I was coming to check on if Ikkau needed anything. I read the book that had those stones in it after everyone else had left, and I did not see anything about that."

"I could have sworn…" said Yumichika, confuzzled. "Do you have it with you?"'

"Yeah, here you go."

"Thanks," Yumichika replied grabbing the book and opening to the page with the bookmark.

"Yeah, something is wrong. There was more text when I read it. I swear."

"That's weird!"

Yumichika blinked at the sun that was streaming through the cold windows.

"Here," said Hanaterou, going over to shut the blinds. The room darkened instantly. "Does this help?"

"Yeah," murmured Yumichika, eyes narrowing at a sparkle on the page. Ikkau followed Yumichika's gaze and his mouth fell open. Writing was appearing on the page.

"The stones must stay close to their source. After all it takes light to shine through the darkness, even to shine through time," read Hanaterou carefully.

"How did we miss that?" asked Ikkau in shock.

"It must have to be dark," decided Hanaterou, looking back at the evidence. "I mean; the library was dark, so that was when Yumichika saw it. Renji's place was packed, so there were tons of lamps lit. But what do the words mean?"

"I do not know," said Yumichika. "But I am sure the child prodigy could figure it out. Where is he?"

Even Toshiro was not quite sure where he was; he was somewhere on the outskirts of the 10th division darting across rooftops. All the captain was focusing on was the enemy, Shizuka, who suddenly turned to face him.

"Finally tired of running?" Toshiro hissed, hand going for his hilt.

"TAICHO!" screamed Rangiku, as she burst into his bedroom. He wasn't there. She flinched abruptly as she felt the change in his spiritual pressure. Her captain was a couple leagues away still. _Hold on; just give me a couple more minutes, _she begged as he ran out of the door in his direction.

"Well, we can't have that now, can we," sighed the ryoka, twisting his right hand in front of him.

Feeling the sudden heat behind his neck, Toshiro spun and flash stepped away, just barely dodging the ray of deadly light. Once again, he reached quickly for the hilt. However, he froze as he felt the steel of a dagger against his jugular.

"I would not do that if I were you," said the innocent voice behind him. Toshiro flinched as he heard her cut his guard for Hyorinmaru with the other hand, which must have also had a dagger. He tried to turn his head in protest and retrieve his sword, but Toshiro paused when he felt blood on his neck.

Shizuka strode purposely toward him, ruby in hand.

_His aura…it is lavender…just like Momo's aura was during that memory,_ thought Toshiro furiously, growing desperate. He glanced at his emerald-haired captor out of the corner of his eyes; she seemed fascinated with Shizuka. Taking a chance, Toshiro spun in hard and pushed her away. He flung a binding spell in her direction, not taking the time to see if it made contact. "Shockahoe," Toshiro growled, arms locked, palm out and pointed at the enemy.

As the powerful ball of energy slammed through the air, Shizuka just grinned. "Kaishuu 1," he murmured. As Toshiro's kido neared Shizuka, it exploded, highlighting thousands of kido bands surrounding the shinigami. The lavender light flared then absorbed the energy.

"Impossible" Toshiro gasped. Suddenly he felt someone grab his shoulder. With a snarl, the captain spun around and found himself looking at a stocky, purple-haired man. As he opened his mouth for another incantation, Mizuro stuffed a rag over the captain's mouth.

Against his protests, Toshiro felt his world start to spin. _Knock out gas_

Sinking down in the middle of the 7th, Momo felt like she had slammed into a wall. This was the first time her mind had suddenly flew elsewhere while she was awake, and she felt sick as she watched Toshiro be captured. She wanted to run to him and help, but her body felt frozen.

Shizuka suddenly laughed, as if he knew her body was and what condition it was in. Seeming to turn around and look at her straight in the eyes he said calmly, "If you want him, back YOU need to come to the 1, right outside of the main frame."

"No don't Momo," Toshiro gasped, weakly trying to push the rag away, mind figuring out Shizuka's full intentions, understanding Momo was probably seeing everything. "The ruby…the stone…I'm fine." He collapsed into Mizuro's arms.

"No you're not," whispered Momo helplessly, feeling tears sneak down her cheeks.

"Nice work," said Shizuka, paying Momo no more mind. "Mizuro, grab Nenshou and Hyorimaru and let's go."

"Understood," Mizuro said, racing over to Nenshou, who had actually managed to get caught in Toshiro's binding spell. "Show off, if you had not lost focus, you would not be in this mess."

"Oh, urusai," grumbled Nenshou as the group vanished from the rooftop.

A couple of seconds later, Rangiku appeared, gasping for air. "WHERE ARE YOU!" she yelled in frustration. Toshiro's pressure had completely vanished.

Rangiku's yell slammed Momo back into action, as she blinked and pushed herself off of the ground. She waved her hand in front of her face in relief. _I'm back; all of me is._ Turning around Momo started running towards the first division. As she turned the corner however, she slammed on the brakes to avoid running into Renji and Rukia, who both seemed in a very good mood.

Renji steadied the captain. "Slow down, Momo, you are going to hurt yourself again…did you enjoy your party?"

Rukia tilted Momo's chin toward her. "That can wait Renji, what's wrong?"

"Shizuka kidnapped Toshiro. I have to get him back."

Renji's eyes widened in shock. The red-head's cheerful demeanor vanished instantly.

Rukia sighed. "I told you leaving Ichigo in charge was a bad idea Renji."

Hinakyrie

Thanks everyone for keeping up with this. I am finally back to solid plot. Hopefully I can wrap this up in three or four more chapters. It has definitely been fun. Thanks for the reviews. Please leave me some more. I want some input on how people want this to end. Have a great summer everyone and congrats graduates!


	17. Wedding March

Chapter 17: Wedding March

Disclaimer: Don't own any of this…shocker I know

"We don't have time to stand around," groaned Momo.

"I know, but we can't just go charging in," Rukia countered for the thousandth time.

"Where is that Bakka?" questioned Renji also for the thousandth time. Bakka stood for Ichigo of course. Once Rukia and Renji had heard the news, they had sent him a message right away.

"Who needs him? Why are you guys standing around? It is a good thing I showed up. Charging in is my specialty!" called a new voice from the roof, causing Renji, Rukia, and Momo to jump a bit.

The sunlight glinted off of Ikkau's bald head as he glanced at the group.

Yumichika, though bandaged, stood relaxed beside him, rolling his eyes. "Don't forget about me too, Bakka; we have info for you guys."

"Yumichika…YOU'RE AWAKE!" called Renji in shock. "Took you long enough!"

"That's great!" said Momo, flashing a genuine smile.

"Wait…how did Captain Unohana release you so quickly?" asked Rukia with elation, then narrowing her eyes suspiciously. You never knew with those two.

"Actually…we snuck out when Hanaterou was not looking. We followed Renji's reiatsu here. But forget the details…they don't really matter. What's our game-plan?"

"Same as it was ten minutes ago, get Toshiro back!" Momo growled, once again growing impatient. She was wishing she had grabbed some medicine in her mad dash out the door.

Yumichika grinned evilly. "We can help with that."

"Us too!" yelled Rangiku wildly, running up suddenly. "Nobody steals my taicho and gets away with it!"

Senna was right behind her. She took one look at Momo and threw her hands around her. "We are going to get him back. We have two captains, three lieutenants, and a bunch of seated officers with us. We won't lose."

"I know…you have to let go Senna; I can't breathe."

"Whoops, sorry."

"Well, we've talked long enough. Senna's right. Our newly arrived ammunition changes things; let's move," smirked Renji with determination. Yes, deep down he wished they had a more formulated plan than— attack the place and get Toshiro back, but they were running out of time and not getting anywhere.

Plus, he had always relied more on instinct and muscle anyway.

As they began running towards the 1st and Toshiro, Rukia glanced at Yumichika. "By the way, what was the information you wanted to tell us?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot."

Meanwhile, Nanao looked at the shinigami in front of her, totally confused. Usually different squad members that she did not know would just pass right by her. Getting stopped by one was unusual. Then again, what about this week had been normal? She wished her head would stop pounding. The loose hair, even in the chilly weather, was causing her to sweat. The wall she was leaning against felt refreshingly cool against her neck.

"Do you need some help Miss?" the shinigami asked again. "You don't look too well."

_If you think I look bad, you should see some of the other guests,_ Nanao thought to herself. _Still…I have never been this late to work before. It's embarrassing. The captain is either worried…or fast asleep. _Aloud she said strongly. "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine…really."

As she began to continue towards her division, the shinigami grabbed her forearm, "Are you sure?"

The lieutenant smiled as a familiar face turned the corner a couple of buildings in front of her. "I am now." _Guess…he was worried._

"Well, you heard her, so you better let her go," said Shunsui pleasantly, hand nonchalantly edging towards his sword as he strolled lazily toward them.

"Understood sir," stammered the shinigami with a bow as he darted away, instantly understanding the hidden message.

"Well, for wanting to help, he sure left quickly," Nanao sighed with a slight smile.

Shunsui grinned. "That just means he is not worth your time, and you can't take him seriously, My Little Nanao."

"Maybe," she said absently. Her eyes squinted; the sun hurt.

"Did you have a wild night?" the captain laughed. "Your hair's actually down."

"And what exactly are you implying?" groaned Nanao, hand flipping back to deliver the normal slap. She flinched as the deliver did not even make contact. It led to her almost falling flat on her face.

"Just implying that you had a good time, that's all," soothed Shunsui as he steadied his fukutaicho. "You were running so late; I was worried. It's nice to see that you had a good time though, My Little Nanao."

"That's kind of you to say Captain." Nanao groaned as she leaned her forehead on Shunsui's shoulder in a sort of surrender. "But…I am not really having fun right now, stupid alcohol. What was I thinking?"

Shunsui chuckled. "You are always so hard on yourself. Maybe you went overboard, but, if it makes you better, you look gorgeous."

Nanao found herself blushing at her captain's sincerity. "Thanks"

Meanwhile Hanaterou read the note that was lying on Yumichika's hospital bed, gulped, and looked into his superior's unnaturally calm eyes. "Honestly, I didn't know they would pull this."

Captain Unohana smiled. It was a _little_ scary. "It's not your fault. This really doesn't even surprise me. I guess we have to hunt them down…don't we?"

_Great_, thought Hanaterou to Ikkau and Yumichika, wherever they were. _You guys are in HUGE trouble_.

Elsewhere Yumichika and Ikkau both sneezed.

Toshiro blinked and slowly opened his eyes. He was face down on the floor. Rolling over with a slight groan, the captain forced himself into sitting position and at once regretted the idea.

_Where am I, Hyorinmaru?_

_Well, _thought the dragon dryly. _Probably at the 1__st__, right where Shizuka said he would bring you._

_Momo!_

_What about her?_ _She'll be here soon enough. I don't think your game-plan worked prodigy._ Obviously he was not in the best of moods.

Toshiro sighed. Hyorinmaru was right. _You win. Still, I messed this up; I have to keep going. I WILL fix this._

_That's better. You better hurry._

Toshiro's rescue squad was almost there.

There was just one thing standing in their way. Well, two things actually…Mizuro and Nenshou.

"Alright," said Momo furiously as she went for Tobiume. Nothing was going to slow her down. "Senna, Rangiku, you are with me. Everyone else…can I leave this to you?"

"We have it covered," assured Rukia. She sent a kido at the ryoka. "Go!"

The invading forces somersaulted over the ryokas' heads and continued towards Toshiro.

Nenshou hissed and started to follow them, but found herself face to face with Rukia. "Nice try, but you have to get through us first."

"Yeah," grinned Ikkau casually in agreement. "Don't make the mistake of thinking we are not worthy opponents to fight."

Momo felt air coming out in gasps as her group rushed through the dark passage way.

"I see light ahead," yelled Senna.

"Keep your voice down," snapped Rangiku. She was a _tad_ stressed.

Toshiro glared at the lock on the door in front of him. It was a heavy duty one, but it was breakable. He just needed to get out, find his sword, and get Momo as far away as possible. _It sounds so simple in my head._

Momo's senses were on high alert as they broke into the lit up, large room. The cameras surrounding the mainframe were still broken. Instinctively, she turned towards a shadowy spot in the corner. She felt him rather than saw him. Her sword hummed. "DUCK!"

Senna heard the warning in time to move as smoke flashed towards her. Rangiku did not. The smoke hit her shoulder and—with a startled cry—she hit the wall and sank to the ground, unconscious.

"RANGIKU!"

"Impressive," said Shizuka as he stepped out of the shadows. "You finally understand the connection."

_Oh, I understand it alright._ Momo's mind flashed back to what Yumichika said. _It has to on you somehow. Whatever form it is, for both of you to have one, there has to be a connection somewhere. If they come together, forget needing the main frame. Soul Society goes down along with pretty much everyone in it. _

"Where's Toshiro?"

"Dead," said Shizuka, nonchalantly.

Momo's world stopped. Fury she had never felt before filled her, and it shut everything else off.

"NO"

She charged. Shizuka smiled at held out his palm.

Momo groaned amid Senna's scream as a force smashed into her and knocked her to the ground. She felt a calloused hand stop her head from hitting the floor.

"You attack without thinking, and you are giving him exactly what he wants Momo. I should have known better," whispered a voice angrily in her ear. Her head was buried in his chest, and she could hear his racing heartbeat.

Momo gently pushed herself away and looked into the supposedly dead Toshiro's face. He said in a gentler voice. "You guys should not have come."

"I know," said Momo, relieved beyond words. "But I could not _not _come."

"Right," said Toshiro helping her feet, understanding completely. "We'll take this guy out together. Senna are you okay?"

"Yep"

"Can you protect Rangiku?"

"No problem"

Toshiro nodded. He clenched his jaw as he looked at Momo. Her aura was even stronger than a few seconds ago. The stones had started to connect.

"So how did you manage to get out?" asked Shizuka curiously.

"Ice and kido," said Toshiro casually.

The captain unsheathed Hyorinmaru—which he had successfully found after his escape—and threw up a sheet of ice up as Shizuka sent another blast towards them. _He uses all kido; he does not have a zanpaktou. _

"Honestly, I knew separating the two of you would give me the power boost I needed, but look at your strength together; it's even more powerful." Shizuka laughed. His spiritual pressure rocketed as he held out the ruby. "Guess what, Momo, my half is bigger."

"What…do you mean?" she whispered, immediately bringing out her zanpaktou's shikai.

Toshiro frantically looked at his fiancé, and narrowed his eyes at a glint of red on her sword that appeared at the unuttered sword release. "Momo…it has been on you the whole time. Your part; it's that ruby on your sword. It is shaped like that rock you found that one day in the Rukon district." They both knew which _one _day he was talking about.

"Yumichika warned me about what can happen. But if I am careful, then I can up my power too, right?" she asked cautiously.

"A little, don't up too much," Toshiro muttered.

"Snap Tobiume!" Momo responded drawing on all of her spiritual pressure. The blast shook the rafters.

Toshiro followed. Not wanting to take any chances, Toshiro went shikai. "Reign over the frosted heavens, Hyorinmaru."

Shizuka emerged winded but not really hurt. He tilted his head and shot a bolt of electricity in Momo's direction. She barely had time to throw up a shield. As she felt herself flying backwards, the familiar nightmare of the river flashed through the woman's mind.

Toshiro growled and flash-stepped above Shizuka's head and brought the blade down. Shizuka glowed and held out an arm. The captain flew backwards, landing a few feet away from Momo. "Did Yumichika say anything else?" he muttered.

Senna was feeling practically useless. Her hair had fallen out of the ribbon while she shielded Rangiku. "Why are you doing this?" she yelled at Shizuka.

"Yeah, the stones must stay close to their source. After all, it takes light to shine through the darkness, even though time. We could not figure out what it meant," whispered Momo back to Toshiro, thankful for Senna's distraction.

"I think I know," Toshiro muttered, not sure he liked the answer. "You two must know each other from somewhere; that's why the stones found you guys in the first place."

"Surely I would have recognized him," argued Momo softly.

Toshiro decided to speak his deepening suspicion aloud. "Not if he was from a previous life."

"Is that possible?"

"I would not say it is not at this point."

Oblivious to what Toshiro and Momo were contemplating about, Shizuka smiled eerily at Senna. "I just want to give the lower people a chance. I picked Nenshou and Mizuro up off of the streets. Shinigami live well while everyone else suffers. I will change that, even if I have to die to do it."

"Not true," Senna growled. "Captain Hinamori took me in. We fight to PROTECT people."

"I don't buy it," said Shizuka. Without warning he spun and vanished, reappearing in front of Momo.

She was ready for it. Light arose from Momo and danced around Shizuka, burning his skin. In a whirl the particles flew together bounding his wrist. "Don't think you are the only kido master here." Momo grimaced. Her headache was soaring; they were too close.

"Exactly," smiled Shizuka, managing to break the expertly created bonds and grab Momo's forearm. That's all it took. Toshiro lunged forward, but it was too late. The explosion was huge. The main frame was gone and so was the ceiling.

Once more, Toshiro felt himself flying backwards.

Sitting up, he looked towards the sky in shock. Momo and Shizuka were locked together, floating in the air.

Senna was sprawled limply over Rangiku. She was conscious…but just barely. Someone needed to stop the two and fast, or people would not be able to breathe at all. Seeing Toshiro's concerned glance, she shook it off and gave him a thumbs up. She mouthed, "Hurry up and go."

Toshiro nodded and—not wanting to waste any time—pushed off the ground. The closer he got the harder it was to move. Momo's and Shizuka's spiritual pressure was crushing.

Even though her vision was blurry, Momo could feel Toshiro coming. She felt the power and the kido dancing around her.

She smiled and thought of how many times people had protected her. _Tobiume_

_Yeah_

_Maybe the stone started all of this, but I can't imagine not having you buy my side. Are you ready? It's our turn._

Renji flung himself in front of Rukia as the blast hit them. He felt the debris slice his wrists.

Ikkau had Nenshou and Mizuro bound and under control—which had been hard enough—but obviously the main event was not over. His mouth fell open at Momo and Shizuka.

Meanwhile, Shizuka had time to notice Momo's smile was unnerving before she spiked her pressure and catapulted over his head. She broke their hold and stabbed his shoulder.

It was not fatal, but it accomplished what it was supposed to. The dangerous spiritual pressure threatening to spread and engulf everything cooled down.

"I am sorry," whispered Momo. "I know you want to help people, but this is not the way. To protect people you have to build up and not tear down." She raised her hand to apply a knock out kido, but the captain looked into the ryoka's eyes and something made her waver. The image of the rushing river and the screaming slammed into her mind, making her cringe.

The hesitation was all Shizuka needed. Being only a few centimeters away, he reached into his uniform and pulled out a hidden dagger. He angled his strike for Momo's heart.

From the ground, Rukia saw the glint but knew she would not make it in time.

_Clash_! Thankfully, Toshiro did. "NOT HER!" He blocked the dagger and slid Hyorinmaru across Shizuka's chest. The ryoka faltered and started to fall. The dagger slipped from his grasp, brushing his neck. His head snapped as he hit the ground.

Mizuro screamed.

Choking from the blood that was now flowing freely from his neck, Shizuka looked up at Momo and Toshiro as they reached the ground. Toshiro looked at him and said calmly. "Orihime's not here. You don't have much time. How did you get the stone in the first place?"

Shizuka's aura rose one last time. It was like a screen. It showed him by the house where Momo and Toshiro had grown up together. Toshiro's dirty clothes were hung on a chair. Making sure no one was looking he reached into Toshiro's pocket and pulled out the ruby.

Momo looked into Shizuka's eyes. "Toshiro's right," she whispered, crouching down and grabbing the ryoka's hand. "Where do I know you from?" _What stopped me from striking?_

Momo leaned back against Toshiro as Tobiume and Shizuka's aura glowed brighter. More pictures appeared in the air.

It was the river again, and the sight suddenly made Momo feel sick to her stomach. As pale as Shizuka was getting from blood loss, he managed to blanch too.

The younger looking Shizuka seemed so scared running along that riverbank. Momo could feel the wind howling. As a crow flew down from a tree Shizuka stared at it. "Hurry," he mumbled. "You have to find my sister. Tonight we are running away. I won't let father hit her again." Seeming to understand, the crow rose to the air and circled. Shizuka kept running. "Momoka!" he screamed "Momoka!" The crow cawed just as a scream rose from the river. Shizuka spun around to see the black hair bobbing in the water. It bobbed up enough just once to see the whole face before disappearing beneath the waves.

Momo felt herself collapse and felt Toshiro's intake of breathe as he bent over and gripped her shoulders tightly. The face that vanished in the image was hers.

With tear-filled eyes Momo looked at Toshiro, who was paler than normal too. "You were right…that's how I died. That means."

Cautiously, she moved closer and pulled the raven locks out of Shizuka's face. She took her haori off to set over him, hoping to warm him up. "You are my brother."

"I am sorry…for everything." Shizuka whispered, a tear running down his cheek. "I was trying to protect my family here and give them happiness, and it turns out I was fighting my own family."

"I am sorry too."

"I guess I failed after all. Watch over Nenshou and Mizuro…and, congratulations on your marriage. Enjoy it!" Shizuka closed his eyes.

"Thanks, we will." Momo whispered. As expected, Shizuka did not respond. Her brother was dead.

The ruby dropped from his cold hand and hit the floor with an innocent bang.

Toshiro sighed. "These things are nothing but trouble."

Senna relaxed. They were going to be okay. Her eyes shut, and she drifted off to sleep.

As he bent down to kick the stone away, it suddenly glowed again making him squint.

Upset as she was, Momo looked at him and stuttered, "It was supposed to be yours in the first place wasn't?"

"I don't know. We still do not know exactly how these things function."

Momo thought about it for a minute. "They are not that complicated. They have a personality like a zanpaktou does; they are just trickier. They choose people. They choose people who they know have a deep bond. They can't be that dangerous. Mine was fine before Shizuka tried to mess with it."

"True, plus we both have the control and knowledge to keep in check," Toshiro mused.

"Well, I do not think I can get rid of mine." _Sorry Tobiume!_

_That's all right…that power is part of you now. It would not be right not to have it._

_Thanks!_ "And…I want to be able to trust the person with the other half."

"Okay," said Toshiro surrendering. He reached down and picked up the ruby. It hummed in his hand. Right before his eyes the red faded and it turned into pure, snow-white crystal. Momo had resealed her zanpaktou, but Toshiro was willing to bet anything hers had turned into the same thing.

Momo felt the change in both herself and Toshiro and her muscles collapsed. Toshiro rushed over and grabbed her hand.

Light flooded the room. Toshiro watched as his crystal melted into his sword guard. The extra power he felt was exhilarating. And Momo was glowing gorgeously. While there were bruises and signs of exhaustion on her face, she was smiling. "Are you okay?" Toshiro asked in open wonderment and concern.

"Yes," she said. "My headache's gone. This does not hurt like it did before. It is not overbearing; it feels perfect…peaceful." She felt like she was seeing all the aspects of Toshiro. The calm side, the caring side, even the slightly cold side were all apparent. A white band shot around them and then the glowing stopped.

"Well, I think the stones are happy. I love you Momo."

"I love you too."

Meanwhile, Ichigo was at Renji's and looking out the window, wondering what was going on at the 1st. Yamamoto must be having a light show or something. He turned towards the couch as Orihime yawned, stretched, and sat up, very confused.

"What's happening?"

"Not quite sure. Too far away to tell whose spiritual pressures are high right now."

"Huh…Ichigo…I meant how did I get here. Last thing I remember I was at the 10th."

"Oh, you were wandering around and pretty out of it. I brought you over here. You're at Renji's."

Orihime blushed. "Thanks…I didn't say anything to embarrassing did I?"

Ichigo smiled and thought about what she had said about his uniform. "Nope not at all"

Back at the 1st the group had just reunited with Toshiro and Momo, who were both taking care of Rangiku and Senna.

"Are you guys okay?" asked Renji worriedly.

"Yeah," said Toshiro simply.

Mizuro had fallen down by Shizuka with grief. Nenshou grabbed her shoulder.

"Good," said Captain Yamamoto coming into the room. "What's with the surprised faces? Even I heard all the commotion."

Noone really knew what to say.

"So are the stones taken care of?" asked the commander, seeming not to notice the awkward silence.

"Yes," assured Toshiro gazing hard into Yamamoto's face, casually placing himself between the head-captain and Momo.

"Good!" _He will make a good head-captain someday._

Renji and Rukia noticed the exchange and did not say anything.

Suddenly Hanaterou and Unohana entered the building. Hanaterou rushed over to Senna.

Captain Unohana just glared icily at Ikkau and Yumichika. "You two are coming back to the 4th with all of the other injured. Am I clear?"

"Crystal" assured the two of them quickly. They had become scared stiff for some reason. When Unohana smiled in reply; they became terrified.

At the 13th, Ichigo stared at the butterfly that had just flown into the room. It was from Renji. "Toshiro's been kidnapped! Hurry up and come to the 1st."

Both of the red-head's mouths fell open. "WHAT!" Ichigo screamed. _Momo probably wants to kill me right now._

"They…really are having a problem with these butterflies, aren't they?" Orihime stuttered.

Hinakyrie

Wow! This one was long. Hope you like it, and it makes up for the long wait! Thank you everyone for reading this. Next is the wedding, so looks like this is almost done. Please tell me what you want for the last one or two chapters and I will try to put it in. I really want some feedback. THANK YOU FOR THE SUPPORT!


	18. Wedding Bells

Wedding Bells

Disclaimer: Guess what? I don't own any of this. This belongs to Kite Tubo and Pirates of the Caribbean

She looked around; the coast seemed clear. Slowly, she reached her fingers forward. _You can make it; just a little bit farther_…_come on!_

"Senna, what are you doing?" asked Hanaterou suddenly, walking over to his now official girlfriend.

Busted

"Nothing," Senna replied instantly folding her hands behind her back.

Hanaterou raised an eyebrow at her.

Then his mouth fell open as Yachiru popped up over the wedding cake that was sitting on a table behind Senna; Yachiru's fingers were coated in teal frosting. "She was about to help me 'test' the cake."

Senna sputtered out a horrible attempt at a defense. Hanaterou just smiled and shook his head at her. "How exactly are we planning on fixing this?"

"Yachiru is causing trouble already?" asked Kenpachi nonchalantly—noticing the excitement—as he walked up to the group. His sword—which had been returned to him that morning by Renji and Ichigo—was on his back, and his normal attire was swaying in the slight breeze.

A few feet away the 6th squad captain whispered to Nanao, "Did he miss the memo about dressing up for this?"

The lieutenant rolled her eyes and whispered back, "What did you expect? He's Kenpachi! _Of COURSE _he missed the memo. Just focus on your job! I'll be back; here comes Kurosaki-sans dad."

Shunsui sighed, not wanting his lieutenant to leave. Ever since he had found her after the bachelorette party, she had seemed more carefree. It was a nice change, and the captain had a bad feeling she would be back to her workaholic attitude after the wedding. He wanted to postpone that as long as possible.

Nanao shook her head, "Relax, I'll be right back. You'll be drinking and partying soon anyway."

Shunsui smiled back, a mischievous twinkle in his eyes. "True…who knows what might happen?"

Not having a book, Nanao settled for hitting her superior with her fan. "Nothing good …probably"

The lieutenant blushed as she left to go seat Ichigo's dad. Behind her, Shunsui's voice was so faint she was not sure if his reply was just part of her imagination.

"You keep telling yourself that."

As this exchange between the 6th squad members was taking place, Ikkau and Yumichika were walking close behind their captain as he once more regained control of Yachiru. "Be good and stop causing trouble."

"If anyone causes any trouble it will probably be you, Sir," digged Ikkau bravely.

Yumichika laughed. "If anything, Yachiru will just come in with a close second."

"What did you say?" asked Kenpachi hand going for his sword.

"KENPACHI!" yelled Captain Yamamoto—who was meandering several yards away—to the loose cannon. "Do not draw that! At the Captain's meeting after the resolution of the incident last night, I specifically stated no swords at the ceremony."

"You know…it might actually help if he actually _went_ to those," stated Yumichika under his breath.

He had a point.

"WHY Y-"

"Now, now it is a wedding, shouldn't we all calm down?" urged Hanaterou zealously.

Meanwhile, Rangiku was finishing up Momo's hair. The bride's locks were shining. Half of her hair was up, and the bottom hung gracefully in loose waves, brushing her shoulders. Glancing at her friends hands that were locked tightly together, Rangiku shook her head. "Now, Momo, it's _just_ your wedding, so you should just relax and calm down."

"That is what you call a pep speech?" asked Rukia with a laugh as she applied the rest of her makeup. "That's awful!"

Momo smiled happily. "It's fine. I am just really excited that's all."

Earlier that day—unknown to anyone else—she had accidently bumped into Toshiro, so Momo knew everything would be okay. It had occurred at the river right outside of the Sereitei…

Staring at the water and the piece of origami in her hand, Momo snapped her head around as she heard a voice say tenderly, "Shouldn't you be getting ready for a certain wedding?"

Everyone—except Shizuka—had escaped the whole twin stones ordeal with only a few bruises, which were the normal attire in the Sereitei. Amazingly, the wedding was planned to go on as scheduled.

Momo laughed. "I got snuck up on _again! _I might be losing my touch. Don't worry, Toshiro, I have plenty of time. I... have to do this first."

"The boat's for your brother; isn't it?" asked Toshiro as he kneeled down beside her. He also had a paper boat in his hand.

"Yeah…do you remember how much fun we had making these? Why can't it be as simple now as it was back then?"

"Well, _you_ had more fun than _I_ did." Toshiro thought for a second. "Life's a journey, and—if it was simple—how would we ever figure out what kind of people we are?"

"What kind of person do you think Shizuka was?" Momo asked sadly.

"A…person who cared about the people he considered family," Toshiro replied slowly. "It is _okay_ to miss him, Momo."

"Thanks Toshiro. I do miss him, and I hardly even got to know him," she said sadly as she placed the boat on the river and watched it sail away. Momo felt the tears sting in her eyes as she watched the boat drift on the water.

Toshiro placed his arm around her, and she leaned into his touch. "I am sorry Momo. If only I had known sooner…"

"This is not your fault; you were protecting me."

"And I will keep protecting you; Shizuka is counting on me now too."

They sat silently for a couple of minutes.

Momo tilted her head and gazed into Toshiro's eyes. "Who is yours for?"

"Grandmother"

Momo smiled. "I should have made one for her too."

"Don't be so hard on yourself; you have had some stressful experiences over the past few days," said Toshiro harshly, rolling his eyes.

"Do you think she is proud of us?"

Toshiro gently grabbed Momo's hand and together they set the boat on the water.

"Momo…I know she is."

"We have a problem!" yelled Renji running into the room, startling Momo back into the present. Her sudden spin towards the man caused her to wince from the pull of the hot iron.

"Would you hold still, please," said Rangiku sweetly. She glared at Renji. "And _what_ exactly is the issue."

Renji stepped back, shaking. Rangiku was _scary_ when she was annoyed.

"Well, I can't find Ichigo."

"Way to go, _best man_," Rangiku replied sarcastically.

"That IDIOT," sighed Rukia standing up, her teal bridesmaid's dress swirly lightly around her legs. "I'll help you look. Don't worry Momo; we'll find him."

"Who do we have to find exactly?" asked Ichigo strolled in, totally relaxed and as cool as can be. Senna, Izuru, Orihime, and Hanaterou were in their assigned outfits and right behind him.

"YO U!" exploded Renji. _Because of you, I just had to deal with a scary Rangiku._ "Where did you disappear to?"

"I disappeared to do YOUR job," shot back Ichigo angrily. "I went and rounded everyone up."

"Well, if you would have stayed put like you were supposed to, I would not have been looking for you. Then I could have done MY job."

"YOU'VE GOTTA A LOT OF NERVE; YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT! FIRST YOU STICK ME WITH THE BACHELOR PARTY AND NOW THIS!"

Rukia had been cradling her head in her hands. She snapped her head up. "SHUT UP YOU TWO; this is a WEDDING!"

"Sorry," said the two meekly. They both knew that while a testy Rangiku was bad, a testy Rukia was 10 times worse.

Momo laughed. Their familiar bickering was helping her loosen up. "You have the rings, right?"

Renji froze, leaving Momo enough time to stop breathing. Ichigo let him squirm for a few seconds before rolling his eyes and saving his friend. "You stuck them in your pocket, remember?"

The best man sighed in relief, checking his pocket to be on the safe side. "Oh…right"

"Good," said Rukia. "Now, leave! We have to finish getting ready. Toshiro is probably starting to wonder where you are at!"

Indeed, Toshiro was pacing around his room anxiously. He had dropped the temperature so much he could see his breath. _Where are they? Figures…considering Ichigo and Renji and part of this circus…thankfully there have been no major catastrophes yet!_ The young man paused and looked in the mirror. His white hair was spiked like normal, and it was a nice contrast from the black suite. He did not _appear _nervous, but deep down his heart was racing.

"How are you holding up?" asked Renji as he entered the room.

"Fine" answered the 10th squad taicho calmly. _It's about time!_

"Sure you are," said Izuru sluggishly, noticing that Toshiro's teal tie was still hanging out on his bed.

Toshiro looked at him in amazement. "Have you already started drinking?"

"Maybe…yes. Well, pre-gaming has never hurt anyone!"

Ichigo thought he could argue with that, but he did not think Izuru would listen anyway. Instead he grabbed the tie off of his bed. "Here Toshiro, let me help you with that."

"Thanks"

"You know; you do seem a little tense," said Hanaterou curiously, slightly concerned.

Toshiro humped and rolled his eyes. "I said; I am fine."

Hyorinmaru laughed.

_Thanks for the encouragement!_

_Anytime!_

Unaware of the debate going on inside Toshiro's head, Izuru shrugged his shoulders. "Do you want your wedding present early, Toshiro?"

"What is it?"

"Sake"

_I should have known. What a stupid question for me to ask,_ thought Toshiro.Out loud he replied, "Tempting…but I'll wait."

Meanwhile, Ichigo finished tying Toshiro's tie and nodded in satisfaction.

"You won't have to wait long," interjected Renji, now that everyone was prepared. "It's time to go get you hitched. By the time we get there; the girls should be ready."

"You're ready," sighed Rangiku with a smile, tears in her eyes. Momo looked simply breathtaking. The gem-studded flowers had been added to her hair. The uchikake worked quite nicely with the gown.

Orihime stared. "You look like a queen."

"Yes she does," smiled Captain Unohana as she swept into the room. "The guys are in their places. It's time to go."

Author's Note:

Thank you so much everyone! Only one chapter to go; two at most! I have been working on this so long; it will be hard to let it go. Thank you everyone for your support. Please review and keep a look out for future one-shots.


	19. Wedding Bliss

Wedding Bliss

Disclaimer: Once more, don't own ANY of this! All Kite Tubo and Christmas With the Kranks.

Momo felt her hands shaking. Captain Unohana glanced down and gave the fingers intertwined with hers a squeeze. "Relax, enjoy it."

"I will…eventually," Momo replied. _Right now, I feel sick to my stomach. Why does the wedding have to be so big anyway?_

_Well, you are __**both**__ captains. Anyway, __**you**__ were the one insisting you wanted all of your friends and squad here, _laughed Tobiume.

_Oh…right._

The bride blinked at the winter sunlight that suddenly hit her face, causing her to refocus.

Hanaterou, Renji, Ichigo, Izuru were standing in front of her, and they were speechless.

"Great, I look so bad…you guys can't even think of anything to say?" teased Momo, trying to look anywhere but them. This much attention was overwhelming; she felt herself starting to blush.

"You look great," said Renji. "Look how much stronger you've gotten since we trained together back in the academy."

Izuru nodded supportively.

"You could probably beat him with your eyes closed now," laughed Ichigo.

"Now don't be degrading on her wedding, practically _anyone_ do that," laughed Rukia, choosing to ignore Renji's splutter of outrage.

The soft melody of a flute filtered into the group's ears. Renji swallowed the insult and smiled. "That's our cue. You ready Momo?"

"Ready as I'll ever be," she replied with a smile.

"You're ready," reassured Orihime, as she gave the bride's shoulder a gentle squeeze.

"Move out!"

"Why won't they move it?" asked Toshiro softly to himself.

The soutaicho was secretly in agreement; he wanted to take a nap before the reception.

_Patience, young one_, sighed Hyorinmaru to Toshiro.

_Urusai!_

"For it being his wedding day, he sure looks tense. I figured Izuru would have had him start drinking already," mused Shunsui aloud from the crowd.

"Some people actually take commitment seriously," said Nanao, rolling her eyes, lightly slapping her captain again with her fan. Her face suddenly lit up, "Here they come!"

Shunsui glanced over at his lieutenant; her glimmering, eager face added a certain sparkle to his eyes.

Yachiru was down the aisle so fast; nobody really got to see her. Yumichika and Ikkau followed in a huff and muttered an apology—which included something about too much cake—to Toshiro.

Toshiro didn't understand and didn't really care. Yachiru had not set the place on fire or anything, so she was really being on pretty good behavior. He had more pressing matter on his mind, a certain woman in a mysterious dress that had been driving him _crazy_.

Meanwhile, as Senna walked down the aisle with Hanaterou she whispered to him, "Toshiro doesn't look very happy."

Hanaterou laughed, "It's Toshiro; it's always that way with him. Just wait a couple more minutes."

Izuru and Rangiku followed them. A murmur of laughter swept through the crowd as Rangiku blew a kiss towards Hisagi; even Toshiro felt his mouth twitch. A slight breeze swept past the red head's ear.

Rangiku heard a familiar voice accompanied the wind. "It was fun Ran…it's okay, just be happy!"

Eons away Gin was smiling. Izuru heard the faint voice too, but he did not say anything. _Finally, she is letting go…so am I!_

Meanwhile, Toshiro took a deep breath. Glancing around, his eyes locked with Ichigo's dad, the former captain of his squad. He was hoping to have some time to talk to him during the reception, considering he had some things about the 10th he wanted to ask about. Reading through some of the tension, Isshin Kurosaki gave the current captain a thumbs-up.

_Then again, I could just talk to Ichigo; he acts just like him_, thought Toshiro. As Ichigo and Orihime appeared and started walking towards him, Toshiro felt a sense of calm. Maybe it was Orihime's gentle presence, or maybe it was Ichigo's confidence? Who knows, but Toshiro could not help thinking, _Ichigo looks just like his old man too. _

Renji's squinted as he guided Rukia down the aisle.

"Is he still there?" she asked him, a tad anxious.

"Yes, thankfully," sighed Renji. "He won't run at _this _point…probably!"

"I would hope not," laughed Rukia, pulling Renji closer to her, thinking _I don't think you will be running anywhere either._ She felt, rather than saw, his smiling gaze upon her in reply.

As they reached the front, the music changed. Unintentionally, Toshiro felt himself suck his breath in.

_It's time,_ prepped Hyorinmaru.

_It's time, _said Tobiume softly. _Just keep your eyes on his._

Momo nodded and felt her body being guided forward. As she rounded the corner and saw the huge crowd in front of her, she stumbled for a moment. Then, squinting into the sunlight, she saw _him. _As a whole he looked stunning, yet his expression was even more so. His amazement surpassed his dignified, usually solemn manner; the gentle look he was giving her melted her heart.

For once in his life—well, in this one at least—Toshiro was speechless.

More surprisingly, so was Hyorinmaru. Of course, the zanpaktou snapped out of his reverie quickly. _Master, I think you are about to start drooling._

Toshiro's heart was throbbing. He was concentrating so much on Momo that the smart-ass comment from Hyorinmaru had not even reached him. The captain was so proud of her, of the beautiful and strong woman she had turned into. Momo was the person who understood most; she had been the person he had strived, and would continue to strive, to protect. That smile on her face meant the world to him. He loved her.

Momo could not help glancing shyly around one more time. _Seriously, this is a bunch of people! _Blushing furiously by this point, she glanced right back at Toshiro and saw him mouth, "Right at me."

She didn't look away again. In awe she watched him come towards her, holding out his hand. Grasping it and looking into those icy irises she whispered, "Am I dreaming?"

"I wondered for a minute too, but…" Toshiro squeezed harder. "This is real. You ready?"

"Yes…forever"

"This is taking forever," grumbled Kenpachi softly from his seat. He waved at Yachiru; she was hyper. Once more, she stuck her tongue out at him.

Right behind the captain, Hisagi laughed, more concerned now about getting a chance to talk to Rangiku. "Yeah, let's just get to the party part." _Plus, I can't see anything anyway because of your tall hair._

Meanwhile the soutaicho, being the succinct man he was, had shortened his welcoming speech and already gotten to the vows and the rings.

As Toshiro turned the ring over in his hand he looked at Momo, and said calmly, "Since before I can remember you've been there. You guided me to a home; you push me to become stronger. With this ring, I promise to love and protect you."

_Blunt and formal as always,_ thought Momo, beaming as he slipped the band on her finger. The band went along perfectly with the engagement ring. The air around her warmed up. Her dress puffed and her hair drifted. She could tell from Toshiro's surprised expression; she was glowing purple again. The peaceful buzzing she felt when Toshiro touched her hand after agreeing to carry the other twin stone suddenly flared up too.

She squeezed Toshiro's hand in reassurance, to calm his fluttering spiritual pressure. She glanced at the crowd, but her reiatsu seemingly was in enough control not to cause anyone significant discomfort. She smiled as the misty-eyed Rangiku handed her Toshiro's ring. "Toshiro, you have always been there for me too, so arigatou. With this ring, I promise to be faithful, to uphold your trust in me, and to be strong in my resolve to protect the people around me."

Toshiro's spiritual pressure also increased when the band was placed on his finger; his aura heightened and turned blue.

"The stones are celebrating, giving us their present," giggled Momo, completely stunned as she was about the phenomena the first time.

"Yes, they know we are completely joined," said Toshiro emotionally, the mixing of their aura's, along with the dress, was making Momo appear more like a goddess even than usual.

Captain Unohana smiled from her seat.

Orihime, Senna, and Nanoe oohed in amazement.

Captain Kurostuchi was confused more than delighted. Sadly though, he knew that the two letting him run tests on this miraculous behavior was zero to one.

"Well, that's nice," said Captain Yamamoto, really wanting to get his nap at this point. Considering the two of that were being joined in matrimony were raised together with no living family members, the traditional drinking of the sake during the ceremony was being passed over. Honestly, everyone involved everyone would be drinking more than the traditional nine cups to cover the quota anyway. "Before the gods and the party assembled here, I declare this couple's love to be pure and true. I am pleased to announce these two are joined in matrimony, and I present to you for the first time Mr. and Mrs. Hitsugaya. Kiss each other already! Have fun and good night!" he finished in a booming voice before promptly leaving the podium.

"Now we can have some fun with Old Man Yama out of the way," giggled Shunsui.

Nanao debated about hitting her captain with her fan, but decided he would just take it as a sign of encouragement.

Toshiro and Momo were so lost in each other; they did not even hear the soutaicho leave.

"Out of curiosity, was the dress worth the wait," asked Momo in a whisper so only Toshiro could hear her.

"Yes, you have no idea…it has been driving me _crazy!_" he-just as quietly-replied.

"Well, you heard him," said Renji, also eager to get the show on the road. "Kiss her already Toshiro."

Mr. and Mrs. Hitsugaya blushed in perfect unison.

Hesitantly, the groom brushed back his bride's raven locks, searched her face, and leaned in.

As his lips brushed hers, the rest of the world didn't matter to Momo. Her senses were on high alert, violently raging. His hands were icy relief on her back. They rustled the silk. His lips were fire for her, a complete contrast to the rest of him. They tasted like sunshine and watermelon.

Funny another, they tasted the same way a couple hours later. Momo pulled back and looked at her husband. His suit jacket was off, and his tie was undone. Momo had stripped off the traditional Japanese wedding garment and was down to her modern wedding dress. While the evening was cool, the multitude of people heated the air. The outdoor reception was raging around them, but the couple didn't care.

"So," said Toshiro, his eyes bright. "Do you want to cut out of here?"

"Already?" questioned Ichigo accidently overhearing him as he walked by. "Maybe you are still a kid Toshiro if you are planning on going to bed before 10."

Ichigo ignored his angry retort and smiled at Momo, "Congratulations, by the way, have you seen Orihime around anywhere?"

"Thanks Ichigo, and, yeah, I did see her a few minutes ago. She was talking to Captain Unohana about a healing technique of some sort and Senna was trying to drag her away to somewhere."

Ichigo nodded and headed off to keep looking for her.

"That spaz!" sighed Toshiro, with slight affection.

Meanwhile, another spaz was relaxing on the rooftop. Renji smiled as he looked at how much fun everyone was having. Below him, people were dancing while waiting for the karaoke that would start soon. Rukia and Rangiku were really cutting it loose. Rukia glanced up and caught Renji's eye.

Using flash-step, Rukia was quickly beside her friend on the roof, "What in the world are you doing up here by yourself?"

"This coming from someone who gets claustrophobic easily," laughed Renji. "I guess I am just enjoying the view."

Rukia felt herself blush as she sat beside him. "Look at those stars; they look close enough to touch."

"Yeah, guess so"

Rukia leaned against him. "This has been amazing day."

"Yeah…there is something else it needs though."

Rukia, confused, turned to look at him but felt his lips instead. His arm went around her, and she found herself leaning in wanting more.

As they broke apart, she looked at him, chest heaving. A line of sweat was trickled down his face. His irises were wide, but they were steady and supportive as always. "Sorry…I should have asked."

"Do you regret it?"

"No…honestly I have wanted to do that for years. But, if you want to forget about it, I will too," said Renji, a certain Ichigo Kurosaki popping into his mind. "Your happiness comes first. It always has; just…there have been a few times though I was too big of a bonehead to show you that."

"It's fine. I actually liked it."

"Great…wanna verse me in karaoke?"

"Sure"

Ichigo could not find that girl _anywhere_. Granted, it did not help he kept running into people. Plus, he had spent a good chunk of the event avoiding Kenpachi, knowing the guy would just challenge him to a fight again.

As he turned around once more in frustration, he spotted the red hair he had been searching for so zealously. "Where have you been?" he asked Orihime as he walked over to her, Senna, and Hanaterou.

"Sorry, Ichigo, we had to make a new cake asap."

"Yeah," said Senna guiltily. "Yachiru and I…messed up the other one."

Orihime laughed. "Yeah, and if you wouldn't have pulled me away from Captain Unohana this one would have been messed up too; it would have been burnt."

Ichigo sighed and shook his head. "I see, as long as everyone is okay then. Do you wanna dance Orihime?"

Orihime felt herself blush. "I'd love to."

Hand in hand, they journeyed over to the dance floor. The song was slow, but it didn't drag.

"Rukia's voice fits this song well, doesn't it?" said Orihime with a smile, in heaven.

"Yeah, it does."

Renji started his part.

Ichigo and Orihime both flinched.

"That should be outlawed," groaned Ichigo.

"For once, we agree" said Uryu as he swung past them with Nemu.

Orihime just laughed at the two of them and placed her head on Ichigo's shoulder.

Ichigo pulled her closer, glaring at his nearby dad's thumbs-up and wink.

Momo finished her piece of cake and smiled at Toshiro.

"Is it safe to eat?"

He was the one that had seen Orihime cart it out of the kitchen a little bit ago.

"Yep," said Momo happily.

"Thank goodness," Toshiro grinned, reaching down to grab a piece of cake and nodding as Hisagi walked by screaming congratulations at the couple.

"It is so noisy here," the captain grumbled lightly to his wife.

"They mean well," she smiled, staring deep into his saphire eyes.

"True…I love you."

"I know."

Toshiro looked at all the craziness that was happening around him, half-heartidly, once more, wondering if eloping would have been a better idea. "This is insane though; guess we still have to stay longer."

Rangiku ran by screaming, pausing only to hand Momo a drink.

"I don't think we have much of a choice."

A few hours later….

"How is it possible for me to be having such a great time, while my head is so sore," groaned Momo, hair completely down. The party had just finally broken up, and the two of them were nearing Toshiro's place.

Toshiro laughed affectionately, shifting his weight so Momo would be more comfortable on his back. "Lightweight"

"How come _you_ can hold it so much better than me," she sighed.

"Well," said Toshiro. "I only had one; you had a couple more than that. Just…that one hangover was enough to make me never get drunk again."

Momo groaned, sinking her head in his back. To anyone else, his statement would make him sound egotistically far beyond his age, yet she knew what he was really getting at. He had let his guard down, and they both had paid for it. They had gained the stones, but they could have easily lost each other. She _had_ lost her brother. Momo clenched her hands that were gripping her husband's shoulders tighter. _I could have lost him._

"Hold on, we're here," Toshiro soothed, opening the door and placing Momo bridal style in his arms. He gave her forehead an icy kiss, which thankfully took the edge off of the headache. "Welcome home, love."

He placed her on the bed, dress floating around her.

"It feels good to be home; thank goodness we did not elope," she replied as her lips once again met his.

"Yeah," said Toshiro backing off for a moment to breathe. "Eloping...what a stupid idea."

-Hinakyrie

Wow! It's done…now what? I can't thank the readers enough for everything. Your support is amazing. Also THANKS X A MILLION for the reviews, they gave me such encouragement, especially in this final stretch.

While this is being changed into complete (after all, the main plot is complete, yeah), I do like Icefang's idea about the epilogue. No promises, but I will try toss ideas around and try to think of a fitting one. Like always, ideas are welcomed and encouraged.

For now, thanks again, over and out! Keep a lookout for random one-shots!

P.S. HAPPY NEW YEAR!


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